Whirlpool Corp and Feeding America West Michigan Partner to Bring “Feel Good Fridges” to Local Communities

Feeding America West Michigan and Whirlpool Corporation are partnering to bring “Feel Good Fridges” to select counties in West Michigan. Eleven of these fridges have already been placed in Berrien County—where Whirlpool Corporation is based—with dozens more on the way. Muskegon and Grand Rapids are also set to receive these fridges soon.

“Food inequality is a serious issue in the U.S., and that’s why we’re excited that this program is launching and starting to pick up speed,” said Whirlpool Corporation market manager Gerrod Moore. “In addition to placing fridges in West Michigan where Whirlpool Corporation is headquartered, we’re rolling out the program in other Michigan markets such as Detroit, and urban areas across the country including Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, providing over 100 refrigerators in total this fall to aid families in need.”

Donated by Whirlpool Corporation and filled with nutritious food by Feeding America West Michigan, these community fridges are meant to make healthy options highly accessible for anyone in need. The following locations currently house or will house Feel Good Fridges. Community members can simply take food from the fridge during each organizations’ hours of operation.

• AFrican AMErican History & Literature Gallery (Benton Harbor)
• Harbor of Hope Seventh-Day Adventist Church (Benton Harbor)
• Harbor House, a division of The Avenue Family Network, Inc. (Benton Harbor)
• Michigan Works (Benton Harbor)
• Mosaic CCDA (Benton Harbor)
• St. Augustine Episcopal Church (Benton Harbor)
• Caring Cupboard @ Woodland Shores Baptist Church (Bridgman)
• LifeQuest (Grand Rapids)
• Bethany Church (Muskegon)
• Community enCompass @ Sacred Suds & McLaughlin Grows Farm (Muskegon)
• LOVE INC of Muskegon County (Muskegon)
• Salvation Army of Muskegon (Muskegon)
• Lake Hawks in Flight Foundation Inc.(Muskegon Heights)
• LOVE INC of Muskegon @ Love It Again Resale Store (Muskegon Heights)
• Ferry Street Resource Center (Niles)
• St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Service Center (St. Joseph)
• Living Water Food Pantry @ Free Methodist Church (Watervliet)

With a focus on Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and target on rural areas, Whirlpool Corporation will be partnering with Feeding America on a national level in an effort to attack food insecurity in underserved communities across the country.“For the urban communities we serve, Feel Good Fridges are a great way to help meet the need,” said the food bank’s President and CEO Kenneth Estelle. “We’re very excited to see this new hunger-relief program come to life! Innovative ideas like this one are so important in the fight against hunger.”