BY JASON COHEN
In September, two middle
school teachers launched a
community fridge in Mott Haven,
which aimed to help south
Bronx residents gain access to
healthier food options.
But now Daniel Zauderer
and Charlotte Alvarez’s act of
service is in danger of being
shut down.
The refrigerator, which sits
outside Chicky’s Mini-Market
at the intersection of East 141st
Street and St. Anns Avenue, has
successfully fed many people
during the pandemic. But last
weekend, Zauderer spoke with
the new owner of the bodega
and agreed to sit down with the
landlord and current owner to
discuss the fridge.
Shortly after that phone call,
Nina, the wife of the current
owner, called Zauderer and said
the fridge must go because it is
holding up the change in ownership.
Zauderer said that he was
completely caught off guard.
“I think the bodega has pitted
themselves against the community,”
he said.
While he was told there
would only be two days before
the fridge would be thrown out,
it’s still in its current location
and a turkey drive will be held
in front of it on Thursday.
Once Zauderer found out that
the new owner wanted the fridge
tossed, he launched a petition,
which has garnered nearly 2,000
signatures in just a few days.
“The reason I started this petition
was my effort to show this
new ownership how much community
The Mott Haven community fridge is in danger of being evicted. Photos courtesy of Daniel Zauderer
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 20 OVEMBER 20-26 BTR
support we had,” Zauderer
explained. “It’s not about
shaming the business. We’re
not trying to take away business
from a business. We’re trying
to provide a service for people
in need.”
The community refrigerator
is located outdoors and provides
community members with
24-hour, no-questions-asked access
to fresh food, according to
its founders. It operates with
a “take what you need, give
what you can” philosophy and
is stocked by a grassroots network
of community partners,
maintained by a team of local
volunteers and provided with
ongoing funding by the Bronx
Community Foundation.
According to Zauderer, the
incoming owner is ducking his
calls and has not explained why
the fridge is an issue. Nina told
him that some people are leaving
empty boxes of food nearby,
which she said is causing
a problem.
Zauderer stressed that the
fridge was purposely put there
because it is located near a bus
stop, a Citi Bike Sharing Station,
six schools, eight religious
places of gathering and thousands
of apartments, most of
which are subsidized or NYCHA
public housing.
“It’s not that we’re opposed
to moving,” Zauderer stated.
“But we’re not going to move
to a subpar location so the bodega
can sell beer, cigarettes
and coffee.
The Bronx Times reached
out but could not get in
touch with the new owner of
Chicky’s Mini-Market.
Mott Haven
fridge in danger
Founders start a petition
to keep the community
refrigerator open
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