DENVER — A Colorado mother who lost her daughter to an accidental overdose set up a community fridge in her memory. Lisa Ridenour is making sure those who are struggling with addiction have fuel to keep fighting.
“There's a big need, and it's not just who you think needs it,” Ridenour said. “Adding a fridge out on the street that someone can come to in the middle of the night if they need to for fresh, healthy food is really important.”
Gelli’s Community Fridge has two locations. One of them is along South Pearl Street, in front of Ruby's Market in Denver. Ridenour said the fridge is always stocked and never locked.
“We don't put restrictions on who uses it or how much they take,” Ridenour said. “People look at the Platt Park neighborhood and think this neighborhood doesn't need a community fridge and pantry. It's true there's a lot of affluence here, but there's also a lot of food insecurity, and there's people struggling to make ends meet."
Those who aren't struggling also use the fridge, but Ridenour said it’s for a different reason.
“People who have the means are donating food that's left over from their pantry that they're not going to use, or maybe they're buying a little bit more when they go to the grocery store,” she said. “They're helping fill the fridge and the pantry with food so that those who need it have it there to take.”
Ridenour named it Gelli's Community Fridge after her daughter, Giselle White.
“Her nickname was Gelli,” Ridenour said. “We called her Gelli when she was growing up. She loved food. That was her love language. She loved cooking for people to show them that she loved them."
White died three years ago at the age of 24.
Gelli's Community Fridge
“She passed away from an accidental drug overdose,” Ridenour said. “There is research that shows a strong correlation between hunger and addiction and relapse.”
The National Library of Medicine says it can be hard for addicts to tell the difference between hunger cues and drug cravings, causing many to relapse.
“Giselle shared a story with me when she was in recovery,” Ridenour said. “When she was trying to get clean, she would go to her methadone clinic every day, and on the way home, she would stop at a King Soopers."
White told her mother that she befriended a man who worked behind the counter in the meat department. Ridenour said the man made sure her daughter had something to eat every day — and he gave it to her free of charge.
“As a mother, that breaks your heart to hear that,” Ridenour said. “You don't want to ever think of your child being hungry, especially when they're struggling. So being able to provide food for people who need it is important to me. In a way, it's like I'm still feeding her when I couldn't.”
Ridenour opened her first community fridge at the end of May for residents of Valor on the Fax. The second location along South Pearl Street opened at the end of July.
Ridenour is now working to open more locations across the Denver Metro area. Local businesses and groups donate the space and electricity to keep the fridges running.
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