Eat Fresh Freely
Richland Library
Innovation Synopsis
Eat Fresh Freely is Richland Library’s community fridge initiative, providing neighbors with free, fresh and healthy food with no questions asked. From September 2025 through April 2026, the pilot provided barrier-free access to locally sourced produce and shelf-stable foods at four library locations: Eastover, North Main, Northeast and St. Andrews. The initiative addresses food insecurity and related health disparities while demonstrating how public libraries can use their trusted community presence to expand access to essential resources.
Challenge/Opportunity
Food insecurity and limited access to fresh, nutritious foods affect communities throughout Richland County. Food deserts create additional barriers for residents seeking affordable, quality produce, particularly in communities experiencing disproportionate health disparities.
Eat Fresh Freely was developed to meet residents where they are by providing convenient, barrier-free access to fresh produce and shelf-stable foods through trusted community spaces. By placing community refrigerators at library locations, Richland Library created an accessible food resource without requiring registration, proof of need or a library card.
Target customers: Communities disproportionately impacted by food insecurity and related health disparities.
Key Elements of Innovation
Eat Fresh Freely is a grant-funded community fridge pilot hosted at four Richland Library locations. A project team of eight staff members developed and implemented the initiative in partnership with Toms Creek Family Farms, a hyper-local grower that provides seasonal produce for weekly refrigerator restocking.
The model combines food access with the library’s trusted, welcoming spaces, allowing customers to access fresh food at no cost and without traditional eligibility barriers. The initiative also demonstrates how libraries can extend their role beyond traditional services by responding directly to community needs through local partnerships, flexible infrastructure and service innovation.
Achieved Outcomes
Eat Fresh Freely served more than 2,000 customers during the pilot, and 4300 to date, demonstrating strong and sustained demand. Customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many requesting additional food, more frequent deliveries and expansion to other library locations. Staff reported that refrigerators were often emptied within hours of delivery, providing a clear indicator of community need.
The pilot also generated critical operational and financial data. At current capacity, the service costs approximately $9.85 per customer served, or $63,500 annually. The $120,000 grant investment since spring 2025 enabled the pilot while revealing the staffing, training, procedures and funding needed for long-term sustainability. Within the next year, Richland Library plans to build this infrastructure and sustainably expand the service to Edgewood.
