‘Community Fridge’ now open in Pahrump

As more and more individuals and families continue to rely on area charitable organizations to provide food products amid the pandemic, a local organization has found a novel approach to do the same.

Located at 2210 Commercial Drive, off of Highway 160, Faith for Action, a nonprofit organization, has come forth with what’s known as their “Community Fridge” just outside the Behavioral Services of Nevada agency.

Office Manager Virginia Bautista said anyone in need of food can simply take what they need.

“We are kind of like bridging the gap between services in the community,” she said. “We learned about the community fridge from other cities, so we decided that Pahrump needed something like that. There are no income requirements whatsoever. We have a microwave oven for homeless people to come and warm up their food and at the same time, benefit from the community fridge. We are partnering with Behavioral Services of Nevada.”

At your convenience

Unlike other local food distribution agencies, Bautista said the community fridge is accessible at any time.

“The community fridge is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” she said. “People do not need to come in to tell us that they are going to get food. They do not need to come in and tell us they are going to leave food either. There is a flyer on the fridge that says take what you need and donate what you can, so anybody can come and there’s no questions asked. This pay it forward program was designed to ensure that everyone within the community has something to eat.”

Wide assortment of food items

Additionally, Bautista said there are a variety of food items both inside the fridge and an adjacent pantry.

“We have meats, dairy products, juices, fresh produce, canned foods, as well as non-perishables such as boxes of pasta and things like that,” she said. “The fridge is supported by donations and up until now, it’s been replenished by food banks, and people who are bringing in donations. The donations have been okay as of late, but over the weekends that’s when we see that the products in the community fridge kind of dwindle down. If somebody comes and empties the community fridge over the weekend, then we have God who is looking over us. We are trusting God to replenish that food.”

More help is on the way

Bautista also mentioned that she’s looking to provide for other serious needs within the community in the future.

“Our long-term goal is to have a homeless shelter in Pahrump, that offers not only a shelter, but other services to elderly people,” she said. “Faith for Action serves the homeless community mainly, but also families that are in distress, and are in need of services.”

For additional information, or to provide food and monetary donations, call 775-727-0334.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes