A community fridge is a refrigerator located in a public space. It's a type of food bank. Sometimes called freedges, they are a type of mutual aid project that enables food to be shared within a community. Some community fridges also have an associated area for non-perishable food.
Community fridges are often commercial fridges, which cost between $2000-5000 new. Due to the 24/7 unsupervised nature of community fridges, it’s often best to find a used one instead of purchasing a new fridge, as a fridge of any condition has an unsure shelf life on the sidewalk (an average of 8 months per fridge is not unheard of).
In order to find fridge replacements, organizations that maintain such fridges will put a call out within their networks of local small businesses, recently closed restaurants, and other organizations that have networks of community fridges.
An example of a fundraiser to raise funds for a new fridge: https://www.gofundme.com/f/losaida-community-fridge