September’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Karen Secord to support a community fridge on a street corner.

“I run a food bank in an area of Ottawa that is fast becoming gentrified,” explains Karen. “But the 14 rooming houses, transition house, mental health housing, family shelter, and Ottawa Community Housing buildings tell a different story.”

“I want to put a community fridge on a street corner in Hintonburg. It will be in a small plastic shed so that it can be locked overnight. The fridge will be in a place where shopkeepers and restaurants can distribute leftover or sealed near-the-best-before-date food. The food would be identified and dated if produced in a commercial kitchen, and gardeners would be encouraged to leave veggies. Businesses are excited for this to happen,” says Karen, “and volunteers are ready to monitor the fridge several times a day.”

During the winter, the shed will be used to house the Parkdale Food Centre’s gardening supplies. “All food banks should have gardens,” Karen adds. “That's where real food comes from, ya know!”

Karen is the manager of the Parkdale Food Centre.