Southeast Portland Neighbors Rally to Save Beloved Community Fridge After Years of Wear and Tear

Tucked on the corner of SE 82nd Avenue and Raymond Street in the Lents neighborhood, a bright blue refrigerator and matching pantry shelves have quietly fed thousands of Southeast Portland families for the past five years. Known simply as the “Lents Community Fridge,” the 24/7 mutual-aid hub has survived storms, heat waves, and countless restocks — but it hasn’t survived time. The fridge is now leaking coolant, the pantry roof is collapsing, and the concrete pad beneath both is cracked and sinking.

Rather than let the resource die, the neighbors who built and maintain it have launched a $15,000 GoFundMe titled “Save Our Fridge” — and in less than two weeks, the community has already donated more than $11,000.

“This isn’t just a fridge,” says organizer Sarah Hawkins, who helped start the project in 2020 with a borrowed refrigerator and a folding table. “For a lot of people, it’s the difference between eating tonight and figuring something else out.”

The fridge operates on a simple rule: take what you need, give what you can. On any given day you’ll find everything from fresh produce donated by local farms and grocery stores to homemade tamales, restaurant leftovers, diapers, period products, and warm coats in winter. During the 2021 heat dome, volunteers kept it stocked with cold water and electrolyte drinks; during ice storms, neighbors shoveled paths to keep it accessible.

But five years of constant use — doors opening hundreds of times a day, summer temperatures pushing the compressor to its limit, and winter freezes cracking the exterior — have taken their toll. The current refrigerator is on its last legs, the pantry’s plywood roof is rotting, and the ground has settled so badly that the units sit at an angle.

The fundraiser will cover:

• A new commercial-grade, energy-efficient refrigerator ($6,800)

• A sturdy, weatherproof pantry rebuild with locking cabinets for hygiene products ($4,200)

• A new concrete pad and ADA-compliant ramp ($2,500)

• Solar panels and battery backup so the fridge stays cold during power outages ($1,800)

“After the 2020 ice storm knocked out power for days, we lost everything inside,” Hawkins remembers. “We never want that to happen again.”

The campaign has drawn donations from across the city and beyond. A local brewery hosted a benefit night that raised $1,200 in one evening. An anonymous donor who said they relied on the fridge during cancer treatment gave $500. Even the Portland Trail Blazers’ community fund chipped in $1,000.

Longtime volunteer Marcus Tran, who restocks the pantry several times a week, says the outpouring reflects how deeply the fridge is woven into the neighborhood. “People don’t just take food — they bring food, they check on each other, they leave notes. It’s become this living thing that belongs to all of us.”

As of November 19, 2025, the GoFundMe stands at just over $11,200 with 387 donors. Organizers hope to reach the goal by Thanksgiving so the new setup can be installed before winter rains make conditions worse.

For anyone who has ever opened that blue door and found a warm meal on a hard day, the message is clear: the community that built the fridge isn’t ready to let it go — and they’re proving it one donation, one jar of peanut butter, one neighbor at a time.

Link to the fundraiser: gofundme.com/f/save-lents-community-fridge