On July 29, 2022, YouthBuild Just A Start’s construction students delivered and installed the first community refrigerator and pantry at St Clement Church in Medford, MA as a part of a collaborative partnership with Somerville Community Fridge, a volunteer-run mutual aid group that provides assistance building, maintaining, and stocking community refrigerators in the cities of Somerville and Medford and collaborates with other towns and cities in the Metro-North area.

YouthBuild Just A Start, based in Cambridge, MA, is a high school education, job skills, and leadership development program for youth. Its current cohort of seven construction students were tasked with building and assembling an enclosure for the community refrigerator, as well as delivering and installing it. The new fridge will provide food support to the community, serving many local residents and families while reducing food insecurity and minimizing food waste. The refrigerator took three weeks to complete and in the course of the build out, the construction students, who had no prior building experience, learned and practiced valuable construction skills such as the safe use of power tools, basic floor, wall, and roof framing/sheathing, reading construction documents, and working together as a team.  The materials were provided by donors to the Somerville Community Fridges.

“When Somerville Community Fridge first asked YouthBuild Just A Start construction students for help building Medford’s first community refrigerator at St. Clement Church, we were thrilled,” said Nate Bae Kupel, YouthBuild Just A Start’s Director. Dan Madri, a YouthBuild Vocational Instructor, continued, “This project was a fantastic opportunity to give our students hands-on experience for them to test their skills and work together on something that would ultimately address food security, an issue we at YouthBuild Just A Start care a lot about.”

The Blessed Andrew Phu-Yen Parish at St. Clement Church, located in Medford, will host the community refrigerator, which was first initiated by Father Phong, pastor of the first Vietnamese parish of the Archdiocese of Boston. He has long supported local pantries and is passionate about providing food support to the community. “This Community Fridge, in a gentlest way, validates and authenticates our faith as Catholics.  We thus are profoundly honored to participate in the effort to better the lives of our brothers and sisters.” 

Somerville Community Fridge volunteers will routinely stock the refrigerator with fresh produce, dairy, meat, and other foods donated by area businesses and farmers markets. Members of the community are encouraged to contribute fresh wholesome and canned food, as well as pantry supplies including diapers and personal hygiene items. “We are grateful to YouthBuild Just A Start and St. Clement Church for their support with this project,” said Todd Kaplan, one of the Somerville Community Fridge lead organizers. “The fridges are a way for community members to help their neighbors in need with fresh, healthy food. Because the fridges and pantries are open 24/7 they allow convenient access to food in a private way. In the true spirit of mutual aid, we hope everyone will take what they need, and give what they can.”

The refrigerator is located in the parking lot behind St. Clement Church via St. Clement Road. Access is also convenient from the front of the church at 64 Warner Street side by walking between the church and the church’s hall.

About YouthBuild Just A Start
YouthBuild Just A Start is a full-time comprehensive youth development program that helps young people reclaim their education, gain job skills, and become leaders in their communities. The program serves students aged 16 to 24, offering youth the opportunity to earn their high school credential and build employment skills in their choice of Construction or Retail. YouthBuild students are also eligible to earn stipends of up to $300 bi-weekly as they pursue their education and work experience. YouthBuild Just A Start is a proud affiliate member of the global YouthBuild movement. For more information, please visit https://justastart.org/youth-programs/. 

About Somerville Community Fridge
Somerville Community Fridge is a community collective and mutual aid group created to share food and resources in Somerville, MA, and neighboring communities. They currently have three community refrigerators: the newest one in St. Clement Church at 64 Warner Street in Medford, one at 35 Prospect Street in Somerville’s Union Square, and one at 36 Sewall Street in the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville. A fourth fridge is in the works for the East Somerville Neighborhood School. The organization is completely volunteer-run, and relies on the generosity of local businesses and residents to keep the fridges clean, full, and running properly. To learn more about how you can give or receive support, please visit https://linktr.ee/SomervilleFridge. If you want to volunteer please feel free to join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/somervillecommunityfridge.