VOA常速英语:新社区努力帮助饥饿的人们

The idea is simple: Instead of throwing away unused, still good to eat food, local businesses and residents can leave it in a public refrigerator for others.

This new fridge is situated in the heart of London’s Brixton District.Neighboring business owners help stock and clean the fridge each day.According to The People’s Fridge founders, food waste is a huge issue in Britain.On average, restaurants throw away 900,000 tons of food each year while households waste the equivalent of 24 edible meals a month.But with 8.4 million people in Britain living in food insecurity, that food could be going to good use. And The People’s Fridge helps bridge that gap. Employees at the Ritzy Cinema now and now are giving their cafe’s surplus cakes to the fridge instead of sending them to a landfill.

“We had about a staff member come down and heard about the project.And it just seemed like a great idea. Businesses like us, we waste a lot of food often that can be donated to people who are in need and to help support the community in Brixton which we are on a par with are kind of important to us.”

A group of 25 food activists came up with the idea of starting The People’s Fridge and raised more than 2,500 dollars to start the project.

“Food we’ve put on the shelves or we’ve had pulled off the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of its being there. There are lots of people who are in work, who are receiving an income but who still can’t afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives. Here from my experience, it feels like there is demand and the demand is rising.”

Anyone can donate food or take it out. The People’s Fridge provides a visible focus for cutting food waste and feeding the hungry in London.

Founders hope this will inspire other cities around the world.

For writer Faiza Elmasry, I’m Faith Lapidus, VOA News.