Philly Food Pantries and Community Fridges

 
 
 

National Food Bank Day is on the first Friday of September every year.

We want to encourage you to contribute to the cause that believes no one should go to bed hungry, so we’ve compiled a list of Food Pantries and Community Fridges in Philadelphia that you can donate to, or even volunteer at.

Zoe’s favorite organizations to donate money to are:

https://www.philabundance.org/

https://www.sharefoodprogram.org/



Philadelphia Food Pantries by Zip Code:

Philadelphia Food Pantry
Philadelphia Food Pantry

See more Food Pantries here.



Philadelphia Community Fridges:

  • Instagram

    With nearly 20 community fridges and a pop-up grocery store, Mama-Tee has spots throughout the city you can support. Fridges are cleaned and filled weekly by a team of volunteers, which you can join by emailing the organization at hello@mama-tee.com.

    LOCATIONS:

    Northern Liberties: 635 W. Girard Ave.

    Kensington: 2400 Coral St.

    Kensington: 3231 N. 2nd St. (Two fridges at this location)

    Fishtown: 1255 E. Palmer St.

    Fishtown: 2401 E. Letterly St.

    Hunting Park: 1717 W. Hunting Park Ave. (Two fridges at this location)

    West Philly: 5524 Haverford Ave.

    Spruce Hill: 4600 Woodland Ave.

    Brewerytown: 3033 W. Glenwood Ave.

    Callowhill: 915 Spring Garden St.

    Germantown: 234 Winona St.

    Fairmount: 2015 Fairmount Ave.

    Graduate Hospital: 2204 Washington Ave.

    Point Breeze: 3200 Dickinson St.

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Fruits, vegetables, dairy, pantry items (so long as they are properly packaged and have ingredients listed), hot dogs, bread (must be sealed and not expired), water, and juice (low-sugar if possible).

    You can make a monetary donation via the organization’s GoFundMe page.

    DON’T BRING:

    Any expired or unlabeled food, any nonfood items, leftovers, improperly packaged food, candy or candied items, condiment packets, peanut butter, very salty or sugary snacks, baked goods, meat (raw or cooked), opened food, or homemade meals.

  • Instagram

    This organization serves many families with young children, as well as many unhoused people, with its four locations. Fridges are checked twice daily, and the organization is always looking for help — you can fill out a volunteer interest form online, or email the organization at southphlcommunityfridge@gmail.com, or DM them on Instagram.

    LOCATIONS:

    Pennsport: 1229 S. 6th St.

    Point Breeze: 1200 S. 21st St.

    East Passyunk: 1901 S. 9th St. (This location is pantry-only and accepts only shelf-stable goods)

    West Passyunk: 2100 S. 24th St.

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Cooked meat and seafood; premade meals (labeled in English and Spanish with ingredients, common allergens, and the date it was made); fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs; bread and pastries, dairy, and eggs; rice, pasta, grains, and beans; pantry staples like sugar, flour, cooking oil, spices, and condiments; snacks like granola bars or prepackaged sandwiches; bottled water and sports drinks.

    You can make monetary donations via Venmo and Cash App. Or, you can buy items from the organization’s Target registry, which are then shipped to a volunteer’s home and placed at a fridge location. You can also go shopping for the fridges on your own, and email the organization a receipt for the items you donated to be reimbursed up to $35 via Venmo or Cashapp

    Buy the organization’s swag (profits of which benefit the operation).

    DON’T BRING:

    Raw meat and seafood; leftovers; unlabeled or expired food items; alcohol; in general, anything you wouldn’t eat yourself or feed to your loved ones.

  • Instagram

    Fridges and Family today has three locations in Philly, and one in East Orange, N.J. — cofounder Justin Battle’s hometown. To volunteer your help with tasks like picking up and dropping off food, running social media accounts, or anything else, fill out the volunteer form on the organization’s website, email communityfridgeorganization@gmail.com, or DM them on Instagram.

    PHILLY LOCATIONS:

    Italian Market: 1149 S. 9th St.

    Southwest: 7044 Woodland Ave

    Temple: 1940 Liacouras Walk (This location is inside the 1940 dorm at Temple University)

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Canned goods; eggs; milk and other dairy products; water and juice; bread; fruit and vegetables; rice; hot dogs; toiletries and hygiene products.

    If you want to donate money, you can do so via the organization’s Cash App, or by buying an e-gift card. And to donate to the Temple University location, buy items from an Amazon wishlist, which will be sent to an organizer who will stock them at that location (the Temple location is inside the 1940 dorm, and isn’t accessible to the public).

    DON’t BRING:

    Unpackaged or expired items; home-cooked meals.

  • Instagram

    Founder Jane Ellis launched this group in 2020, which today has two Germantown fridges and pantry locations that accept a wide variety of items. Fridge checks are done twice daily, and you can volunteer to help with those by filling out volunteer forms for either location on Sign Up Genius — or, if you want to shop for the fridge or help with food pickups, contact the organization via email at germantownfridge@gmail.com or by DM them on Instagram.

    LOCATIONS:

    Germantown: 20 W. Armat St.

    Germantown: 19 E. High St.

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Bread; homemade or premade meals (labeled with common allergens, date it was made, ingredients); milk; eggs; frozen meat and seafood; fresh and frozen produce; vegan items; gluten-free items; baby food and formula; grab-and-go snacks; canned food with pop-tops (especially soup); spices and condiments; pasta; rice; diapers and baby wipes; menstrual supplies; toiletries and hygiene products; PPE items; reusable plastic and paper bags; can openers; new and unexpired dog and cat food.

    To donate money that helps keeps the fridges stocked and running, you can use Cash App or Venmo. Or you can buy food from the organization’s Amazon wish list that will be shipped to a volunteer who will stock your items.

    DON’T BRING:

    Clothing; cooking pans; opened, partially used, unpackaged, expired, or unlabeled items; raw meat; alcohol.

  • Instagram

    This Kensington-based organization operates a fridge, pantry, and bookshelf at its Coral Street location, where a wide variety of items are accepted. You can volunteer to help with food running, cleaning, and coordinating; contact organizers by email at coralstreetfridge@gmail.com, or DM them on Instagram

    LOCATION:

    2670 Coral Street.

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Home-cooked and prepackaged meals (labeled with common allergens, the date it was made, and ingredients); cooked meat and seafood; fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen); bread and pastries; dairy and eggs; rice, grains, pasta, and beans; pantry items like sugar, flour, cooking oil, spices, and condiments; canned foods with peelable lids; individually packaged snacks (like small bags of chips or Tastykakes); bottled water; feminine hygiene products; diapers; naloxone; books.

    Monetary donations can be made via Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal. If you want to donate items directly, you can drop them off at the fridge.

    DON’T BRING:

    Unpackaged, unlabeled, expired, or open items; raw meat and seafood; alcohol; leftovers.

  • Instagram

    With its single location, East Falls Community Fridge aims to provide as much as possible for the neighborhood with a fridge, freezer, and pantry by focusing on keeping staple fridge and pantry items and homemade meals in stock. You can volunteer for fridge check-ins, deep-cleans, and weekly shopping via the group’s form on Sign Up Genius.

    If you use the fridge to get food, you can fill out a form requesting certain items via this survey on Google.

    LOCATION:

    3507 Midvale Ave.

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen); eggs; bread and pastries; prepackaged meals; homemade meals (in a sealed container labeled with the date it was made, a best-by date, and ingredients); dairy items such as cheese, milk, and yogurt (as long as it is packaged and labeled); canned goods; vegan items; toiletries (in limited amounts)

    To make a monetary donation, you can donate to the group via Venmo.

    DON’T BRING:

    Raw meat; leftovers; open, unlabeled, or expired items; alcohol; clothing.

  • This site in the Cedar Park / Squirrel Hill area of West Philly has a community fridge, deep freezer, and dry goods pantry that primarily serves families, unhoused people, and LGBTQ youth. It is stocked with groceries twice a month and from food donations.

    LOCATION:
    4819 Springfield Ave

    WHAT YOU CAN DONATE:

    Staples (milk, juice, bread, butter, eggs, cheese, rice, pasta, flour, root vegetables); grab-and-go items (fruit cups, cheese sticks, snack packs); frozen foods (meats, pasta, microwavable foods, ice cream); prepared foods (single serve, packaged, labeled with date); dry goods (toiletries and sanitary products, first aid supplies, boxed and canned foods).

    DON’T BRING:

    Leafy greens, opened portions, unlabeled food, leftovers, alcohol.

  • Cedar Park: The People’s Fridge — 511 S. 52nd St.

    Powelton Village: Powelton Fridge — 3750 Lancaster Ave.

    Spring Garden: Spring Garden Community Pantry — 1924 Spring Garden St.

    Temple: Love Your Neighbor Philly — 1684 Jefferson St.

    Mantua: Ronnie Vega Community Fridge — 4134 Lancaster Ave.

    Germantown: Ourchive215 — 5424 Lena St.

    If you want to help, they will take food donations, monetary donations, and volunteers. For the most part, their needs are similar to the other Community Fridges listed on our page, but it’s best to reach out to them before donating if you have questions.

See https://www.phila.gov/food/ for more free food locations.

 
 
 
Kristin McFeely