A third, but currently only, refrigerator as part of Fareground’s Community Fridge Program has opened inside of Beacon’s Howland Public Library. This, coming after a tumultuous removal of the first two community refrigerators in June and September 2025 as a result of some neighbor complaints at the relocation of the first fridge from Binnacle Books to a residence at 23 Cliff Street, and the City of Beacon’s eviction of the second community fridge at the City’s Parks and Recreation building at 23 West Center Street.

According to Michelle Rivas, Adult Services & Community Engagement Librarian for the library, who spoke to A Little Beacon Blog about the program, the Howland Public Library had been in talks with Fareground for a possible partnership to offer a 3rd refrigerator to the community before the first two were removed. The library already has a Tiny Food Pantry inside, as well as an Essentials collection, which offers free toiletries, socks, underwear and other needs to any person in need.

“When the SNAP benefits were paused and the other fridges in Beacon were removed,” Michelle told ALBB, “we knew it was the time to get things moving.”

When some people in the Beacon community reacted with outrage over the removal of both community refrigerators, Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White had Heidi Harrison, the Assistant Recreation Director for the City of Beacon’s Parks and Recreation Department, deliver what could be viewed as a humiliating critique of the Parks and Recreation’s view of Fareground’s management of the refrigerator.

To justify his eviction of the community refrigerator during the October 15, 2025 City Council Meeting, City Administrator Chris had Heidi present pictures of the fridge at different points over its lifetime, as Chris sat behind her in the jury box of the City courtroom, insisting on code enforcement of the community refrigerator at levels that restaurants need to reach and maintain. Chris also made unfounded criticisms of the type of food offered from the fridge by anonymous donors, saying his own mother wouldn’t take food from it. He then played the religion card, saying food that respects ethnic and religious diets was not offered. Some community members called his guided presentation “unhinged,” and KK Devina, former member of the now disbanded Commission on Human Relations, called for his resignation. Meanwhile, many adults, kids and teenagers took snacks and other food from the refrigerator on a regular basis, and vocalized missing the resource.

City Administrator Chris’ ultimate recommendation was for the City of Beacon to hand out food cards to people to buy their own food. This partially happened during the SNAP food crisis, where Mayor Kyriacou proposed grocery gift cards to certified SNAP recipients only, and no one else. City Council approved $50,000 to be spent on the food access initiative at the November 3, 2025 City Council Meeting. The money was transferred from the “City Council - Planning Studies” budget earmark, to “Food Assistance - Community Outreach.”

New Refrigerator Partnership Between Howland Public Library and Fareground

Purchase of this new refrigerator was sponsored by the Friends of the Library, Michelle told ALBB. The Friends of the Library is a fundraising extension of the Howland Public Library that has its HQ next to the library - The Beacon Reads Bookstore - which sells used books, staffed by volunteers.

Opening day was Tuesday, December 23rd, before the library was closed Wednesday - Friday for the holiday. The library was open until 8pm that evening. Fareground mentioned that a ribbon cutting is being scheduled for January 2026, which is when donations from the general public will begin being accepted. Guidelines will be released of what can and cannot be accepted into the Community Fridge also at that time.

The new refrigerator has a glass door. “It was important to us to select a fridge with a glass door so it was easier for community members to easily see what was available,” Michelle told ALBB. “The glass door also makes it easier and for the library outreach team and Fareground volunteers to monitor the fridge and keep it clean and safe,” she concluded.

Timeline of Community Refrigerators In Beacon From 2020 - 2025

Community Refrigerators have been established in Beacon so far in response to restrictive actions taken by the federal government which allow people in need to easily access food. The catalyst for the installment of the first community refrigerator in Fareground’s Community Fridge Program was the shutdown from the COVID pandemic in November 2020, which was in partnership with Beacon4BlackLives and Binnacle Books.