In Brentwood, A Community Fridge That Feeds Those Most In Need Closes

BRENTWOOD, NY — In May 2021, Amanda Sweeney wanted to put action to her words. As an urban studies adjunct professor at Queens College, she teaches social justice on a daily basis.

“I get to teach students about injustice all the time,” she said. “But what difference does it make if I'm teaching about it, but I'm not doing anything about it?”

Sweeney and cofounder Esmeralda Garcia decided to tackle food insecurity — a dire issue that had only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two said that the location for their first community fridge occurred “organically” after they distributed free food at a table at the Consulate of El Salvador in Brentwood.

The Consulate later agreed to let the two place a community fridge — a refrigerator located in a public space that acts as a food resource for nearby residents — on their property.

Sweeney told Patch that volunteering with similar concepts in the South Bronx inspired her to designate a community fridge.

Since then, Eileen's Free Bodega has served about 100 households per week. The nonprofit also added two more people, Rachel Wade and Josh Chan, to its team.

"Mutual Aid"

While the Long Island charity will celebrate its second anniversary next month, it recently experienced a drawback.

Eileen's Free Bodega announced that its second fridge, located at Christ Episcopal Church at 155 Third Ave. in Brentwood, would close effective immediately.

The nonprofit expanded its mission in March 2022, operating the second fridge. However, both parties mutually agreed to stop its operation, just after its one-year anniversary.

"We feel it is best to relocate to an equally accesible location where we can continue the services that we provide," the charity wrote in a social media post.

Sweeney told Patch that the most important thing when operating a fridge with another organization is to share similar values and goals.

“It's a very small team, but everyone works, volunteering their hours. None of us getting paid for all the work that we do. We have to make sure that we also have our bills are paid,” said Garcia. “But also, we're only human.”

She also said that while Eileen's Free Bodega asked little of the church, they requested the charity perform a large amount of responsibilities. Sweeney said she was often asked to help with non-fridge related tasks, such as setting up their internet appointments, taking care of elderly members, and cleaning their yard.

She claimed a church leader asked “Why?” after confiding she felt tired from the extra work.

“It was almost like, 'Okay, so we're providing the space for you. So you owe us',” Sweeney said. “The leader took advantage of the situation because I just kept saying yes.”

The extra work became too much, she said.

“Finally, I was like, wait a minute, this is like surpassed my boundaries,” Sweeney said. “I can't do this anymore. I'm tired.”

Pastor Juan Reyes told Patch that the community was happy to have the fridge. Any action he asked of Eileen's Free Bodega was consensual, he said.

He always "treated them with respect," he said, and was surprised to see the fridge go, but upheld their wishes.

In the future, Eileen's Free Bodega will strive to work with organizations that have mutual understandings of each other's responsibilities.

“When we're looking for a host, you don't have to do anything. You just have to be decent,” she said. “You have to just do it out of the kindness of your heart.”

Moving Forward

Sweeney and Garcia said that while it saddens them to close this location, the fridge at the Consulate is still in operation and is going strong. The church fridge was also relocated next to the original one on the Consulate property.

“Ultimately, the fridges are not that far away from each other,” said Garcia. “So I feel like we didn't necessarily take that much away because all resources will be coming to one location instead of two.”

Anyone can access the fridge, they said, and it's open 24/7. Those who wish to help can also stock the fridge with however much they want to give.

“I encourage people to do this because it's great exposure, to show your family, your children, what like solidarity looks like,” said Garcia. “So you can definitely go shopping at the fridge, or for the fridge. You can buy whatever you want, you put it in the fridge, and you call it a day.”

Eileen's Free Bodega also accepts monetary donations.

According to a U.S. News and World Report, 57.3 percent of Brentwood School District students are economically disadvantaged.

Sweeney and Garcia said that interacting with those who use the fridge remind them of what they take for granted.

“One time I asked a little boy, 'Hey, what would you like?' He was like, 'Eggs are good. We like eggs,'” said Sweeney. “If I was to ask (another) 6-year-old that, they'd probably be like, 'Oh, I hate eggs, I want candy.'”

Another time, the organization put out Jiffy Mix boxes to bake cakes.

“No one was taking it,” said Sweeney. “They said, 'Oh, we don't have ovens.' And it was just something so basic, that we take for granted.”

Their mission, Sweeney and Garcia said, is to continue supporting the community, in multiple ways.

In addition to food, the Consulate fridge is decorated to portray the “Three Sisters,” or the three main agricultural crops of various Indigenous peoples of North America: squash, maize (corn), and beans.

The second fridge is shown in honor of Javelin Caal, a 7-year-old indigenous Mayan child who passed away when migrating from Guatemala in 2018. She died away from sepsis while in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, NPR reported.

The fridge was painted by José Flores Chamalé, an indigenous artist from Guatemala.

“We want people to feel empowered,” said Garcia.

The nonprofit also hosts community evens throughout the year, such as an Egg Hunt at Brentwood Market this Easter.

It was also selected as a beneficiary of the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program for the month of April. Eileen's Free Bodega will receive a $1 donation every time the $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Stop & Shop located at 2650 Sunrise Highway in East Islip.

“Solidarity is an action word. Love is an action word. Hope is an action word, not necessarily like a feeling,” added Sweeney. “When we say we stand in solidarity with marginalized people, we're actually putting in the work, we're not just saying it.”

To learn more about Eileen's Free Bodega, visit their website here.

To learn more about Chamalé's art, visit his Instagram here.