“I just give those who want what people leave here” says the person in charge of community fridge

In front of the new zonal office of Tondiarpet that is under construction there is a small shelter under which you would find the community a fridge which is provided by the North Chennai Senior Citizens Welfare association (NSWA) under the name Pagirindhu Unn.

Jyothi Ramalingam, A retired bank staff takes care of the community fridge under their association. “I just give those who want what people leave here,” says Jyothi Ramalingam.

Kathirvel, a local resident of the area says “I always feel bad when I throw away excess food. I had a doubt if people would accept the food if I give it to them directly, so I throw it. This community fridge is a great initiative. For the last week, I have been donating excess food,”

A local Bakery owner is a daily contributor to the fridge. The owner says “I leave some pieces of bun daily in this fridge and it is a small contribution that I could do to the community and those in need”.

“The food that is kept here is taken by those who want them within an hour but there are many people who leave their clothes here and it keeps accumulating” says the person who is in charge of the community fridge, Jyothi Ramalingam. So, the members of NSWA offers the clothes that are accumulated to the orphanages in the nearby areas but there are also people who take the clothes they want from here.

Jyothi Ramalingam also maintains a register in which he enters the names of those who contribute to the community fridge regularly. This is the only community fridge in Chennai which has a person who has a person who is in charge of the community fridge.