COVINGTON, Ky. — There's a sign on the side of a building at the intersection of 9th and Scott Streets that you may not notice if you aren't looking for it. It points to the Covunity Fridge, a pantry for those in need.
On any given day, you might find people in the fridge dropping off canned goods or picking up a bite to eat.
The Covunity Fridge, despite its name, is much more than a fridge. It's home to a fridge, freezer, pantry and filtered water. There are even extra appliances like can openers and a microwave.
Seemingly, the founders have thought of anything and everything someone might need if they don't have the money to go to a store or restaurant.
"A lot of folks around here don't have homes or they don't have electricity," Covunity Fridge co-founder Missy Spears said.
Spears said she knew there was a need in the area for a pantry, but she wanted to step up the game. She admitted she wasn't completely altruistic when founding the fridge.
"It was COVID," she said.
And Spears needed a date. So she put the Covunity Fridge together to get media attention which she hoped might attract a date. It worked. Spears is now happily married.
But her passion for the Covunity Fridge hasn't waned. She's there three or four times a week, she said, to restock the pantry or see what's needed or what's being requested on the chalkboard provided.
Spears has never been paid a dime to do it, but she isn't alone.
"It's 100% volunteer-driven," Spears said. "It's just a bunch of people who care."
If you hang out at Covunity Fridge, you will likely meet people like Buzz Mansfield. He's homeless and pops by to see what's inside that day. On this day, he found an apple in the pantry and smiled as he took it.
Inside the fridge are also containers of food from restaurants. He grabbed one of those and started to heat it up, noting that the pantry has been a "Godsend."
"You can get a meal, if it's in there," Mansfield said. "If not, you can heat something up from your backpack. There's a microwave. There's always canned goods and a can opener if you ain't got one on you."
Another visitor stopped by and heated up a meal from the refrigerator.
"I only take what I need and one is all I need right now," they said.
One of the few rules at the Covunity Fridge is to only take what you need and leave what you can. Another is that food put in the refrigerator or freezer must be store-bought or come from a commercial kitchen.
It just so happens that the takeaway containers in the fridge this day are from Grub Local in Covington. Mitch Arens, chef and owner of Grub Local, said it was luck that helped him provide the meals — luck in the form of a big win on a Super Bowl bet by his brother-in-law.
The brother-in-law gave $500 to Arens to make meals for the "fridge" and asked friends to donate as well. They ended up with enough money to fund 250 meals — 10 a day for five weeks.
"Last week we did fried chicken, cornbread, green beans," Arens said. "We did some mac and cheese balls."
Those meals, heated in the supplied microwave, are filling Covunity Fridge visitors.
"It's happiness, you know?" Mansfield said
After an hour or two, the filled-up fridge is empty. The pantry has plenty of space for more items.
"When we fill it up, it will be emptied in two to three hours. All the food you see right now will be gone by this afternoon," Spears said.
But she isn't worried. She will post on Facebook requesting more food. And the Covington community will somehow pull through.
"It will just get filled again," said Spears. "And that's the part that makes me food good."
