Since 2021, Whirlpool has been refurbishing damaged or returned fridges and provided them to food banks and agencies that need to store perishable goods. Through its Feel Good Fridge program, it has donated more than 900 refurbished refrigerators and delivered more than 250,000 pounds of food to partner agencies, reaching more than 25,000 families.

It started as a local initiative in Dallas, Texas, but is expanding into Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, and West Michigan through a new partnership with HelloFresh and Total Quality Logistics (TQL) which aims to place 3,000 fridges in those cities by 2030.

These locations are chosen by prioritizing food-insecure areas with a high concentration of needs.

Sourced from customers who return a refrigerator to a store, or from warehouses where an appliance may have been damaged in transit or at another point in its early life cycle, the fridges undergo testing, minor repairs, and cleaning, and are then distributed to area food bank programs. Sometimes, parts will be taken from a damaged unit for future use.

“Across the U.S., 44 million people, and one in five children, face hunger,” said Pam Klyn, Whirlpool’s executive vice president of corporate relations and sustainability.

“We launched Feel Good Fridge to fight food insecurity in a sustainable way, and collaborating with HelloFresh and TQL allows us to expand our impact in the communities that need it most.” 

TQL will transport the appliances, while HelloFresh will join Feeding America to help fill them with fresh ingredients. 

“Increasing the availability and accessibility of fresh produce and ingredients is a key part of HelloFresh’s mission to fight food insecurity,” said Jeff Yorzyk, the senior director of sustainability at HelloFresh. “We’re proud to partner with Whirlpool and TQL to help alleviate food insecurity by meeting communities in need where they are.”

Source:

What happens when you return a fridge? For one company, it becomes a donation to a food bank Good Good Newsletter, Jun. 11 2024

Images: Whirlpool