Free Fridge Volunteer Information
Free Fridge Volunteer Information
Adopt a week. Fill the fridge. Pass it on.
Rally your coworkers, family, faith community, neighbors, or teammates and adopt the Community Free Fridge at Second Harvest for a week.
During your adopted week, your group commits to stopping by at least once to help clean and stock the fridge — then pass the baton to the next group.
Every day, neighbors rely on the Community Free Fridge for fresh food, prepared meals, pantry staples, and other essentials. Week by week, this relay helps ensure those resources remain accessible, welcoming, and available to anyone who needs them.
One group. One week. One less empty fridge.
The Community Full Fridge Relay is a community-wide effort to keep the Community Free Fridge at Second Harvest stocked, cleaned, and cared for by neighbors, for neighbors.
Groups “adopt” the fridge for one week at a time, helping care for this shared resource before passing the baton to the next group. Together, these weekly handoffs create a continuous chain of care that helps keep good food accessible for neighbors every day of the year.
The relay is built for groups to participate together.
Workplaces, faith communities, families, friend groups, neighborhood groups, sports teams, clubs, and other affinity groups are all encouraged to participate. Whether your group is large or small, there’s a place for you in the relay.
Groups commit to visiting the Community Free Fridge at least once during their adopted week. During that visit, groups are asked to:
Please bring your own cleaning supplies.
The Community Free Fridge is open 24/7, so groups can visit whenever it works best for their schedule. Groups are welcome to visit more than once, but only one visit is required.
To complement existing food partnerships, we ask groups not to plan visits on Tuesdays or Sundays.
There’s no one “right” way to participate.
Some groups may:
The goal is simply to come together and help keep the fridge full and welcoming for the next neighbor who needs it.
If your group is unable to stock the fridge as originally planned, you can also purchase a gift card at Harvest on Main Community Market. Our team will use those funds to stock the fridge on your behalf. Every $5 donated helps provide one ready-to-heat meal through our Second Serving program.
The Community Free Fridge at Second Harvest accepts a variety of food and household essentials.
Groups are welcome to stock:
Prepared foods should be packaged in individual or family-sized servings that are easy for neighbors to take and use. All prepared foods must be labeled with:
For food safety reasons, we cannot accept:
When in doubt, we encourage groups to leave only items they would feel comfortable serving their own family.
As ready-to-heat meals and prepared foods near their sell-by date at Harvest on Main Community Market, they’re purchased through our Second Serving program and stocked in the Community Free Fridge at Second Harvest.
From our community to your feed!
A little corner of cozy. ☁️🤍
Soft blankets, bedtime books, cuddly stuffies, nursery treasures, and all kinds of sweet finds in store now! Stop by and see what you discover.
📍 Second Harvest Community Thrift Store
Back-to-school season is here! 🍎✏️
Whether you’re shopping for classroom clothes, backpacks, great books, or a new-to-you pair of sneakers, our store is full of affordable finds to help your family get ready for the year ahead.
Stop by, take a look, and see what treasures you can find.
📍 Second Harvest Community Thrift Store
The best of late summer, one special at a time. ☀️🌽🍅
August’s menu is all about making the most of the season. Think sweet corn, ripe tomatoes, fragrant herbs, and fresh-picked vegetables transformed into scratch-made meals, hearty favorites, and fresh new salads.
Alongside neighborhood favorites like Grandma Flo’s Meatballs and Better Than Betty’s Meatloaf, you’ll find seasonal specials including Caprese Chicken, Sweet Corn, Tomato & Parmesan Ravioli, Stuffed Peppers, and more throughout the month.
Save this month’s menu, and follow along in our Stories to see what’s fresh from the kitchen each day.
📍 Harvest on Main • 808 Main Street, Sharpsburg
“Her heart has to be enormous. I don’t know how it fits inside her.” 💛
It’s one of our favorite moments from this story—but this has never been one person’s story. It’s always been a community story. As Bonnie says, “It’s such a caring, giving community, and the people with resources really want to see the people without do well.”
That generosity shows up every day—in volunteers who give their time, donors who invest in their neighbors, customers who shop with purpose, and community members who believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable goods and welcoming spaces.
We’re grateful to be part of this story, and even more grateful to share it with all of you. Thank you @pittsburghtodaylive @cbspittsburgh @upmchealthbeat #upmc #communitycommitment #communityheroes
