The Oak Park Community Fridge

07/06/2022

Need everyone to support & attend if they can!

JULY 22nd & 23rd, a music festival to help address food insecurity in Oak Park & surrounding areas.

Millions of Americans experience food insecurity every year— meaning they lack access to adequate, nutritious foods.

FOOD AID 2022 is our inaugural, extremely important music festival that will be supporting multiple organizations doing the work to address food insecurity:

Unity Fridges (SUA)
Beyond Hunger
A House in Austin
Austin Coming Together
Best of Proviso Township
Westchester Food Pantry

Attend both days or choose one day!

Friday @ The Kehrein Center for the Arts

The O’MY’S are headlining Friday night in Austin

Saturday @ The School of Rock Oak Park

Mary Lane, who was just honored at the Chicago Blues Festival with the mayor declaring June12th, Mary Lane Day will be headlining Saturday night, with other great acts performing both nights!

Tickets can be purchased at www.foodaidfestival.com all monies from sales will go to our beneficiary organizations!

With music as our inspiration and everyday working-class people our heroes, Food Aid envisions a transformed America in which no one person experiences hunger and every person has access to fresh and healthy food.

01/14/2022

CommUNITY! Spread the word!

New meal drop at our Unity Fridge Carnival Grocery Oak Park

824 s Oak Park Ave. Oak Park IL

Delicious meals that simply need to be heated up.

Please take what you need.

Thank you to the commUNITY for continuing to step up in someone else’s time of need! ✊🏾❤️

01/12/2022

Thank you to Sugar Beet Food Co-op for their collabrative support of our Unity Fridges!

Everytime you shop at the Sugar Beet & bring a reusable bag, mug, or container, you can receive that will go to helping to fun our Unity Fridges that provide 24/7 access to food & hygiene items for those in need or choose another deserving initiative!

It takes a commUNITY! ✊🏾❤️

12/24/2021

CommUNITY!

Happy Holidays.

Our Unity Fridges just received a new batch of fresh protein: chicken breats & hamburger patties!

Please help yourself & take what you need.

Locations:

Carnival Grocery Oak Park 824 S. Oak Park Ave Oak Park IL

Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church 405 S Euclid (Parking lot shed) Oak Park IL

The Hampton House 804 S 17th Ave Maywood IL

Thank you to everyone for your continued support & to Byline Bank (Oak Park, IL) for their sponsorship!

No one should be or go hungry! It takes a commUNITY! ✊🏾❤️

12/10/2021

Unity Fridge update!

Our fridge over Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church : 405 S. Euclid Oak Park IL (parking lot),
has been moved inside the parking lot shed for the winter months, but is still accessible 24/7!

There are currently fresh protein (chicken breast) & other items in the fridge.

Please help yourself if you are in need, or spread the word for others who may be in need!

It takes a commUNITY! ✊🏾❤️

12/09/2021

CommUNITY,

We have a fresh protein dropoff to two of our fridge locations:

Carnival Grocery Oak Park parking lot: 824 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park IL

&

The Hampton House: 804 S. 17th Ave. Maywood IL

This week we have cooked chicken breast & pork strips.

If you are in need or know of someone in need, please take what you need, leave what you can, & spread the word! ❤️

Thank you to Byline Bank (Oak Park, IL) for their continued support!

12/06/2021

As the Director of SUBURBAN UNITY ALLIANCE, the initiatives we engage in, in support of our communities, cannot be done without the support of community members & institutions invested in local progress.

This past Giving Tuesday, Byline Bank (Oak Park, IL), which has supported SUA from the beginning, chose our collabrotive The Oak Park Community Fridge (Unity Fridge) initiatives as one of the organizations to give to.

As a small 100% volunteer organization, we are able to do tremendous things, because of support like this.

This money will go to support the continuation & expanation of our Unity Fridge efforts, as we work together to address food insecurity!

Thank you Byline for your continued belief & support in the role we will continue to play in larger movements. ✊🏾❤️

https://www.bylinebank.com/news/byline-bank-gives-20000-to-illinois-organizations-on-giving-tuesday/

11/24/2021

“I feel like it is a responsibility of businesses in the community to show support to people in the community,” said Paris. “In our society we work to be successful and sharing what you have with someone who has less just makes sense.” Carnival Grocery Oak Park

As of today, we have surpased the original 30 goal all thanks to a community truly invested in community members.

Support the people & support small business! We can end food insecurity together!

A brainstorming session between Arthur Paris, owner of Carnival Grocery, and Anthony Clark, founder of Suburban Unity Alliance, hatched a plan to stock three community “unity fridges” with full turkey dinners in advance of the holiday. “Anthony was in here shopping a couple of weeks ago and we...

11/16/2021

Thanksgiving Meal Drive 30 for 3!

The Oak Park Community Fridge SUBURBAN UNITY ALLIANCE are partnering with Carnival Grocery, Best of Proviso Township, & Engaged Berwyn

& are proud to partner for our 2021 Thanksgiving Meal Drive 30 for 3!

This Sunday, November 21st,

our organizations will be inside Carnival Grocery located at 824 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park IL

from 3 pm until 5 pm collecting items to fill 30 boxes each of Thanksgiving meal items that will be divided evenly (10 each) to go to the 3 Unit Fridges currently operating in the Oak Park and Maywood communities.

All items are welcomed, but in support of small business, any customers that purchase their items for our boxes at Carnival Grocery store, will receive a 10% discount on all purchases.

*See flyer for further details.

Contact: Anthony Clark @ [email protected]

11/11/2021

CommUNITY, Unity Fridge Update!

This week, our Unity Fridges which provide food & hygiene items 24/7 are stocked with ground beef & couscous bags, as well as chicken breast, both made & packaged on 11/11/21.

We will continue to need the help of the community, as we are only as strong as the weakest among us!

Locations:

Carnival Grocery Oak Park 824 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park IL

Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church 405 S. Euclid Oak Park IL (chufch parking lot)

The Hampton House 804 S. 17th Ave. Maywood IL

If you would like to support:

Monetarily, you can donate here with 100% proceeds going to fridges:

http://paypal.me/opunityfridges

To donate food items, you can simply follow the guidelines here & drop off to your preferred location:

https://www.opfridge.com/guidelines

More Love Less Hate! ✊🏾❤️

A special thank you to Byline Bank for their continued support!

11/06/2021

CommUNITY, Unity Fridge Update!

All 3 fridges are stocked with cooked chicken & hamburger & will be restocked each week, along with other items.

Each fridge is our effort to help address food insecurity by providing 24/7 free food & hygiene items for those in need.

The need is great & our fridges are being refilled as best we can each week thanks to the wonderful community.

We will continue to need the help of the community, as we are only as strong as the weakest among us!

Locations:

Carnival Grocery Oak Park 824 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park IL

Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church 405 S. Euclid Oak Park IL (chufch parking lot)

The Hampton House 804 S. 17th Ave. Maywood IL

If you would like to support:

Monetarily, you can donate here with 100% proceeds going to fridges:

http://paypal.me/opunityfridges

To donate food items, you can simply follow the guidelines here & drop off to your preferred location:

https://www.opfridge.com/guidelines

More Love Less Hate! ✊🏾❤️

A special thank you to Byline Bank for their continued support!

10/05/2021

Unity Fridges The Oak Park Community Fridge located at Carnival Grocery Oak Park & Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church (parking lot) now have location cards that you can hand out to anyone who indicates they are in need across our community.

Cards have each location of our Unity Fridges that provide 24/7 access to food & hygiene items.

When you shop, consider picking up something extra for the fridges & take a few cards to hand out!

If you are in need, know the fridges are here to help!

It takes a commUNITY! Thank you as well to Byline Bank (Oak Park, IL) for their continued support!