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The fridge is currently broken. Please only bring shelf-stable items. A new install is expected Saturday, July 11.

Covunity
Free · Open 24/7 · Run by neighbors

A neighborhood fridge, open to everyone.

The Covunity Fridge is Covington's free community fridge and pantry. Two locations, stocked by neighbors and open around the clock. If you need food, it's yours. No sign-up, no questions.

Get involvedFind the fridge
  • No sign-up
  • No cost
  • No questions asked
  • Open 24/7Every day, all year
  • Free for allTake what you need
  • Easy to findTwo spots in Covington
Our story

The first free fridge in Northern Kentucky

Nobody should go hungry while good food goes to waste a block away. That's the idea the Covunity Fridge was built on.

The Covunity Fridge, short for the Covington Community Fridge, launched in 2021 in partnership with Redden Gardens, which gave it a home in the alley off 909 Scott Blvd. It was the first free community fridge in Northern Kentucky, built with help from the Cincinnati Fridge Project and neighbors who pitched in their time, tools, and know-how.

It's more than a fridge. Under one roof there's refrigerated and frozen space, shelf-stable pantry goods, a microwave, drinkable hot and cold water with a bottle-refilling station, hygiene supplies, and a bilingual list of other resources nearby. Everything is free, and it's all there whenever you need it. A second, smaller pantry on Banklick Street carries the same idea a few blocks over.

Day to day, it runs on trust and small acts: a neighbor grabs dinner on a hard week, a restaurant drops off labeled meals, someone wipes down the shelves on their walk home. People call that mutual aid. We just call it looking out for each other.

The Covunity Fridge installation at Redden Gardens, including the pantry structure, fridge, and mural beside it.
The main fridge at Redden Gardens pairs pantry space with hand-painted neighborhood murals, because beautification matters too and helps make the fridge a more delightful place to visit.
“Take what you need, leave what you can. That's the whole rulebook.”
— Covunity Fridge
Year founded
2021

Year founded

Locations
Two

Locations

Always open
24/7

Always open

In the news

The neighborhood's been talking

Stories and coverage about the fridge and the people who keep it running.

WCPO 9March 2024

Covington community pantry, fridge has been a 'Godsend' for those in need

A feature on the Covunity Fridge as a volunteer-run pantry, fridge, freezer, and water station that can empty within hours because neighbors rely on it every day.

Read article
WCPO 9 YouTubeMarch 2024

Community pantry, fridge helping Covington residents in need

The companion video report showing how the fridge works on the ground, from stocked shelves and prepared meals to the people who use it and keep it going.

Read article
WLWTMarch 2021

Covington 'Covunity Fridge' seeks to narrow hunger gap in Northern Kentucky

Early coverage of the fridge launch, focusing on the goal of narrowing the hunger gap with free food, drinking water, a pantry, and a microwave in Covington.

Read article
LINK nkyNovember 2025

Where in NKY can you get help with food?

A Northern Kentucky food-help roundup that points readers toward places they can turn when benefits run short, including Covunity as a local mutual-aid resource.

Read article
WCPO 9August 2022

Fridge that offers free food to community struggles to keep shelves full due to inflation

A story centered on Camp Washington's free fridge during inflation, but it also notes the Covington location as part of the wider cross-river community-fridge effort.

Read article
The people

Meet the organizers

A volunteer crew of neighbors keeps the shelves full, the fridge clean, and the door open, every single day.

  • Brian Goessling — Cofounder

    Brian Goessling

    Cofounder

    Brian views the fridge as an outgrowth of his work on Redden Gardens, where the first fridge is located. In addition to the fridge, Brian helps organize the Redden Garden community garden program. He is actively working to further activate that space by renovating the office building (where his grandfather previously practiced medicine for almost six decades). He hopes this can serve as a third space for the community.

  • Missy Spears — Cofounder

    Missy Spears

    Cofounder

    In addition to co-managing the fridge, Missy is currently the Executive Director of Queer Kentucky and an active participant in the Residents of MainStrasse Association where she serves as Vice President. She enjoys creating community spaces and events that put LGBTQ+ folks in leadership roles.

  • Jamie Flynt — Handy person

    Jamie Flynt

    Handy person

    Jamie got involved in the beginning with the weekly trash duty and quickly showcased their skills by solving issues with the fridge, designing and installing the access panel door, and most recently building out the housing for the microwave and water cooler. When they are not helping out with the fridge, they are actively organizing cycling activities and infrastructure in the city.

  • Alexa Abner — Property owner

    Alexa Abner

    Property owner

    Alexa is the property owner for the Banklick location. In addition to providing space for our second location, she has dedicated the site as a food forest that she has been tending over the last few years. She has also actively advocated for urban agriculture and runs her own agriculture business.

  • Greta Elenbaas — Helper

    Greta Elenbaas

    Helper

    Greta has been a wonderful supporter of the fridge for many years. She helps organize food drops, especially when the need is high, to keep the fridge stocked and bellies fed. She has also recently stepped up to help post more regular photos on social media to keep others informed.

  • Gaby Myers — Handy person

    Gaby Myers

    Handy person

    Gaby recently volunteered to help assist as one of our handy persons to help out with the fridge. She most recently assisted with triaging our fridge outage and helping to get us back up and running!

How it works

How a sharing pantry works

A community fridge runs on trust and a few simple habits. It's about as easy as it sounds.

  1. Take what you need

    Hungry, stretched thin, or just passing by? Help yourself. It's free and open to everyone, and nobody's going to ask you to sign in or explain why you're there.

  2. Leave what you can

    Got extra produce, sealed pantry goods, or a labeled meal from a commercial kitchen? Add it to the shelves. Splitting large packs into smaller portions helps it reach more neighbors.

  3. Keep it clean

    Wipe up spills, toss anything past its prime, and shut the door tight. A few seconds of care keeps the next person's food safe and the fridge worth coming back to.

Great to share

  • Fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Bread, milk, eggs, cheese, and butter
  • Sealed, unexpired pantry and canned goods
  • Bottled water and shelf-stable drinks
  • Labeled meals from a commercial kitchen
  • Menstrual products (the only non-food items we can take)

Please hold back

  • Opened or expired food
  • Cans dented on a seam or edge, or punctured
  • Unlabeled prepared or home-cooked food
  • Non-food items other than menstrual products

Common questions

The things people usually want to know before they stop by.

Pitch in

Get involved

The fridge only works because neighbors show up for it. Here's how you can help keep it full and open.

Most needed

Keep it running

There's no schedule and no sign-up. The fridge runs on neighbors looking out for it. When you pass by, take a minute to clear expired food, wipe things down, and check that the fridge, microwave, and water station are on.

See what's needed

Donate food

Drop off unopened, unexpired groceries any time, day or night. Think fresh produce, pantry staples, bottled water, or a labeled meal from a commercial kitchen. Menstrual products are welcome too.

What to donate

Businesses & sponsors

Regular donations from local businesses keep a fridge afloat. Order extra in bulk, rally your team, or sponsor the fridge from $500 and get your logo on a custom magnet.

Get in touch

Questions or donations?

Drop us a line anytime to pitch in, drop off a donation, or ask about starting a fridge where you live.

help@covunity.org
Find the fridge

Come by, we're always open

Two free spots in Covington, open day and night. Swing by whenever it suits you. There's no schedule to keep and nobody to check in with.

Open 24/7 · every day of the year

Redden Gardens

The main fridge, with refrigerated and frozen food, a microwave, and a hot & cold water station.

Doc John Redden Way909 Scott BlvdCovington, KY 41011

Get directions

Banklick Street

A smaller satellite pantry.

1214 Banklick StCovington, KY 41011

Get directions