The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...

Youth Climate Activists Open a Community Fridge in Belgrade

Posté le 12 janvier 2022

With WWF support, a youth climate initiative opened the first Community fridge in Serbia to combat food waste

Belgrade – Starting this Wednesday, there's a Community fridge in front of Dorcol Platz in Belgrade, opened with the goal to reduce food waste and help those in need. This is the first community fridge in Serbia, and it was opened by Tamara Stojković and Emilija Bojić as part of their youth initiative of the same name which they started within a WWF project for empowering youth in finding and implementing climate change solutions. The fridge was donated by the humanitarian organization 28. jun.

„It was an honor and a pleasure to work with the young women from this initiative in the past six months. They're extremely dedicated and their enthusiasm and the will to drive positive change never wavered. What makes their idea special is that it not only reduces food waste, but has a humane component as well, with a clear desire to help those that often struggle to get food,” says Mina Mirić, WWF Adria.

The location was provided by Dorćol Platz, so the fridge will be available to those that need it most at 59b Dobračina Street, while the organizers of the initiative and their team of volunteers will make sure the fridge is maintained and cleaned regularly. pa će na ovoj lokaciji biti dostupan onima kojima je najpotrebniji, a organizatorke inicijative i tim volontera koji su okupile će se brinuti za njegovo održavanje. The fridge was decorated by the street artist Andrej Kolosov and the initiative is supported by Food Bank Belgrade, which will be supplying the fridge with food.

„We agreed to support this the moment Tamara and Emilija reached out to us, especially as there is nothing like this in our country... We will be supplying the fridge with fresh fruit and vegetables that we get daily from a large grocery chain donor in Serbia, and we'll do our best to provide other essential foods with the help of our company donors. A community fridge provides easier and more direct access to end-users and enables individual citizens to get involved directly. I'd like to invite everyone who can help to visit the fridge or our storage, donate excess groceries and support this initiative,” says Katarina Žigić Blagojević, Food Bank Belgrade.

The initiative was supported by various organizations and a lot of individuals and many people are interested in what happens next. In addition to maintaining the existing Community fridge, Tamara and Emilija have other big plans as well. Besides the usual problems that concern youth people, these young women worry about the entire planet and all the people on it as well, but especially those that need it most.

„There were a lot of challenges to overcome, but we believe that's what made this initiative so well thought out in the end. We're so thankful to everyone that supported us and we hope this will really make a difference and inspire others to take action as well, for a brighter future for all of us. Emilija and I also want to open a Community wardrobe to reduce the waste from the fashion and clothing industry that also contributes to the climate crisis, and we want to keep raising awareness about this problem and work on implementing positive change on systemic, legal, and individual levels,” says Tamara Stojković from the Community fridge initiative.

We invite everyone to join in and help make the first Community fridge in Serbia a massive success, as well as support these incredible young women in their future endeavors. Follow their Instagram for more information and make sure to visit the Community fridge at Dorcol Platz and say no to food waste!