A NEW initiative to share food which would otherwise go to waste has seen more than a tonne of perishable goods come through its doors since it opened.

The Haverfordwest community fridge, based at FRAME in Merlins Bridge, opened at the start of March, with the aim of allowing people who have surplus perishable food to easily pass it on to others who might need it.

Bu Magoo, project co-ordinator for the Haverfordwest Community Fridge, said the fridge was set up to follow the ethos of FRAME, by helping to stop food going to waste in the same way the company re-uses and refurbishes household items.

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The community fridge held its official launch on Tuesday, March 5 with an inaugural party.

“Since then we have been contacting supermarkets and local business that produce food for the public and when that food gets to a certain date and isn’t sellable we offer a service,” said Bu.

“We pick it up and redistribute it for free and that helps in two ways: it reduced landfill, and we have had over a tonne of food come through the doors since we opened, and we are up to about 30 to 50 people a day who use the fridge,” he added.

As well as receiving food from businesses, local vegetable growers have brought in extra food from their allotments.

At the start of April, the fridge held a leek and potato soup making workshop and then had a free meal evening, after an allotment gardener gave the group some extra leeks she had grown.

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There are plans to host similar evenings based on what food is available at the fridge at the time.

The group behind the fridge is keen to encourage people from different income backgrounds to come together to use the services it offers.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer for the Haverfordwest Community Fridge, either at the front of house helping visitors, or behind the scenes, should contact the fridge via 07581 496534 or visit facebook.com/HaverfordwestCommunityFridge