BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the Reisterstown Community fridge is stocked, but it won't stay that way for long.
WATCH: Reisterstown Community Fridge stocked for Thanksgiving
Debra Hanlon, a volunteer with the Reisterstown Community Fridge, said a lot of work went into making sure the fridge was stocked with food before Thanksgiving.
"That day was about 200 pounds of fresh produce from a farm that is part of a community partnership, and there were 60 turkeys, there were 57 gift cards," Hanlon said.
A big part of making sure they have enough food is food rescuing.
That's where Michelle Douglas, Lead Support Volunteer with Owings Mills High School Nest, comes in.
"Working with the community fridge means that if we get something extra, that we go, 'Would you like this?' Then there's families here who can use it, or they have volunteers who will cook meals and put them in the fridge," Douglas said.
Hanlon told WMAR 2 News that with so many people in the area falling on hard times, it was more important than ever to make sure free food is available.
"That was a major concern to make sure because so many things were affected because with the shutdown, money wasn't coming to families that would get it and also we've had quite a few people with the shutdown that didn't have their jobs and weren't getting paid so people who might not normally need just a little help, were needing it."
And the work doesn't stop with Thanksgiving.
"We're gonna go into December, we're gonna go into January, we're gonna go into February, and we need to make sure we're still doing all the things we can do. We've had some Orioles things, they've done things for us, we'd love to get the Ravens with their leftover food."
Head here for tips on whether you plan to share some of your Thanksgiving meal with a community fridge near you.
