Holly Crumrine: Our Free Fridge Is Building Bridges for the Gospel

Two summers ago, a friend—who leads a ministry to feed people—and I were talking, and he said, “You know, your church campus (Lanse Evangelical Free Church) could do a free fridge.” 

I was like, “That's a great idea.”

Clearfield County is one of the poorest in Pennsylvania, and there have been different programs addressing food insecurity. More provisions came and additional funding for food came about with COVID, like free lunches in the summer at school, but most of them have stopped. We have a food surplus program and food pantry nearby, but it has requirements for income. There are multiple reasons people don't want to take that step.

The free fridge helps a different group of people. There are no cameras. There's no registration. It’s a food rescue—anybody can take food. And we’re using food that would get thrown away otherwise. 

I contacted a number of people who are directors of free fridges in Pennsylvania to find out about legality and logistics. A donor helped us purchase the fridge, and one of the elders offered a shelter for it. It slowly came to fruition, and the Lord provided step by step.

We had a congregational meeting at the church, and I brought the plan to them. When the congregation approved, we got to work. The shed was built; we bought a fridge; the church facilities team dug a trench and laid conduit. We placed it near an accessible spot so people could pull right off the road and get food.

We opened the free fridge the week before Thanksgiving 2024. We depend on donations as the Spirit moves people, and we occasionally get donations from local grocery stores. A few local businesses have donated, and a preschool program donates snacks for kids, but donations mostly come from individual community members.

We have literature included, like gospel tracts, pamphlets that address different things like parenting and grief, and some Bibles and information about our church. Six Bibles have been taken so far.

A lady recently messaged me and said, ‘This is so great. I love this. Is there any way for my son to get involved? I would love for my 14-year-old to do some community service, but we're really not religious.’ 

He and his mom both now check in on the fridge once a week, in a space that is literally covered in prayer and Bible verses, and they are getting exposed to the heart of our church and the gospel. We're praying that it makes people see that the church is a place that cares for people in a holistic way.