Community fridge offers free food for the hungry

A community fridge has popped up in central Auckland offering free food to those in need.

The fridge opens today and operates 24 hours a day, available for anyone who is hungry.

It's the brainchild of zero waste blogger Amanda Chapman and a group of community waste champions and aims to not only feed the hungry but reduce food waste by sharing excess food with people who need it.

Businesses and individuals can leave excess food in the fridge, which is in the new Griffith Gardens, for anyone to take.

"I first became aware of the food waste issue 10 years ago when I was throwing out some rubbish in the skips at the supermarket I worked at," said Chapman.

"The bin was full of packaged bread and cakes made the day before. It was shocking. There was so much perfectly edible food going to waste, yet so many people are hungry.

"I first heard about solidarity fridges through a friend who had used them in Germany. I thought it would be a great concept to trial in New Zealand but had no idea how to start one up. When I saw the Auckland Council was making funding available for groups to raise awareness of the issue of food waste, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

The rules of the fridge are simple - take what you need and leave what you don't.

Read the full story on the NZ Herald.