Cache Fridge fights food insecurity through community engagement
On a daily commute to campus, one of the last things one might expect to see is a fully operating, fully stocked fridge sitting on the side of the road. However, if one happens to be on Boulevard Street, chances are they’ll run into just that — and with it, the Cache Valley community’s newest resource to fight hunger.
Cache Fridge – Boulevard began operation in October 2025 and is located at 571 Boulevard Street in Logan. Modeled after the Weber Fridge organization in Ogden and the wider “freedge” project, the program is run by Cache Valley Mutual Aid and aims to relieve food insecurity in the valley through community-created, community-run infrastructure.
The concept is a donated fridge is set up on a volunteer’s porch or lawn, allowing public access to the resource. Anyone in the community can show up and stock the fridge with their extra food, and anyone can show up and take what they need. The upkeep and cleanliness of the fridge is maintained by CMVA, but its contents can be provided by anyone who has the means to donate. There are no questions asked and no forms to fill out — the program is a low-key, self-run form of mutual aid, operated solely by volunteers and community members.
Elise Gottling A shelf next to the give-what-you-can-take-what-you-need-fridge located at 571 Boulevard Logan as shown on Jan. 28.
According to Paige Sargeant, one of the founding members of Cache Fridge, this tenet of community members coming together is one of the main goals of the project.
“The idea is to create a network of resources that anybody can either contribute to or receive aid from,” Sargeant said in an interview with The Utah Statesman. “It’s neighbors taking care of neighbors rather than people having to fill out forms, and all those organizations that do that kind of thing are amazing, and we need them, but there are some people that they don’t reach.”
Sargeant said the fridge can be described as a charitable “free for all.” There are no formal requirements to qualify for the fridge’s aid, and there are no specific times or events where services are given. The organization encourages community members to simply come to the fridge when they need something.
According to CMVA, the need for mutually beneficial community aid is higher than ever as more and more people in Cache Valley feel the effects of food insecurity, especially following recent events — namely, the elimination of many federally-funded programs.
“People’s SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits were cut last fall,” said Melissa Draper, a volunteer with the project. “That wasn’t just people who were standing in welfare lines. That was students attending the university. That’s how they were able to go to the university, because they had SNAP benefits that would keep them fed while they were studying, which is critical.”
According to Draper, in addition to college students, the project also hopes to serve working-class families struggling to make ends meet, as well as unhoused people who may not know where their next meal is coming from. Draper said it recognizes many of these people are unrepresented by formal relief organizations, and for some, community aid is the only way to stay afloat.
“The core message of mutual aid in the valley is just acknowledging these pitfalls and understanding that … the systems that we live under don’t meet our needs anymore,” said Eleni Robinson, another volunteer. “You can’t have a real community if the most disparaged among you are starving.”
However, as CMVA reminds the community, people don’t need to be struggling financially to benefit from the Cache Fridge. In fact, members said the project’s biggest problem currently is the fridge has too much food and not enough recipients. Many community members may feel like they don’t qualify for the fridge’s services or that others’ needs are greater than theirs, but Draper said if someone has any need, the fridge is for them.
“This is for anybody that’s just short that week, or the car broke and you had to fix the car, and ‘Gosh, it would be nice if we just had something to go with dinner tonight,’” she said.
While the community fridge on Boulevard is the closest one to the Logan community, it isn’t the only Cache Fridge in operation. There are several other fridges run by CMVA, which can be found at cachevalleymutualaid.com/food-pantry-and-fridge-map. Additionally, CMVA’s reach extends beyond the fridge projects. It also supervises community meal events for people in need at various times in Logan.
For those interested in supporting Cache Fridge by volunteering food, time or space, CMVA encourages reaching out to it. It is always looking for new fridges, houses to host fridges and food to stock them. More information can be found at @cachefridge.boulevard on Instagram.