Community Spirit is strong today 💪❤️

Dereham Community Fridge had a new wall mounted boiler fitted today, ready to make 35 hot drinks for visitors to our Wednesday morning fridge session! Folks arrived who were looking to make use of the free food available as well as sit down with a cuppa and enjoy some company and friendly conversation.

Each morning around 35 people visit the Community Fridge on Norwich Street inside Green Pastures bookshop, to benefit from the free food that has been donated by local businesses, shops and cafes. But it's about so much more than food.

We want to help combat loneliness. It's such a harmful thing, because humans are naturally social beings. When we lack meaningful connection, our minds and bodies can suffer. Emotionally, it can lead to feelings of sadness, anxiety, low self-worth, and depression. Physically, loneliness increases stress levels, which can weaken the immune system, raise blood pressure, and increase the risk of serious conditions like heart disease and dementia.

By offering a relaxed, informal place to hang out, with free hot drinks and biscuits, we hope to help our fridge visitors feel warmth and belonging in their community. For someone who is feeling particularly lonely this week, we hope to be one of the reasons they feel loved and cared about.

The lovely Christy from Argos (which is owned by Sainsbury's) kindly put Love Dereham forward for the chance to apply for a "Sainsbury's good food for all of us - Community grant". Charity coordinator Athena's application obviously caught their eye as we were awarded £1,500 to spend on replacing the old, limescale filled unit with a brand spanking new one, as well as having some funds left over to support local residents in financial difficulty with emergency food parcels!

The fantastic Ricky Bonner, from Bonner's Plumbing and Heating, came this morning and fitted the new boiler free of charge. He started his day here with us at 8am and professionally fitted the new unit, as well as taking the old one away for disposal for us. What a champ!

Don't we have a fantastic community here in ❤️ Dereham ❤️

Do you know about all the projects that Love Dereham runs? See our leaflet below.

Feel you could benefit from our help? Get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.