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'Fantastic': OSS pupil's community fridge plan coming to fruition

The Sharing Place Food Centre has agreed to work with Myles Odlozinski and spearhead the project, geared at mitigating food insecurity for vulnerable citizens
2023-03-24-mylesfridge
Orillia Secondary School student Myles Odlozinski’s plan for a community fridge will soon be coming to fruition. With the help of city staff through the process, the Sharing Place has agreed to pursue the project with Odlozinski.

An Orillia Secondary School (OSS) student’s vision for a community fridge will soon become a reality.

The Sharing Place Food Centre has agreed to take the project on with the help of Grade 11 student Myles Odlozinski, who has been working for months to bring the project to the community.

“We're happy to take on that project. The city's been great in handling it, and Miles is an inspiration for many, not just other students and youth, but adults,” Chris Peacock, the executive director of the Sharing Place, told OrilliaMatters. “He's approached this in a very smart way.”

There is no definite timeline for the project yet, Peacock said, but he anticipates opening a community fridge – or perhaps a pantry – by the fall of 2023.

In the meantime, Sharing Place officials will work with Odlozinski and others from OSS to ensure it unfolds in a safe, effective, and sustainable manner, Peacock said.

“What we would love to do is sit down with Myles and the team at OSS and really think through this problem,” Peacock said. “We've presented a few concepts and ideas on how to ensure that it can be a food safe environment, and be able to access food in a way that will be safe, dignified, but also has long term sustainability.”

Peacock said he would like to see the fridge in a place where residents have poor access to emergency food services.

“Some folks … find it challenging to access a food bank, so we are definitely interested in finding areas that would make sense to be able to have food access points,” he said.

Odlozinski first approached city council in June 2022, with the hope of addressing local food insecurity by creating a community fridge that provides 24/7 food access for people in need.

Although council applauded his efforts, in December it ultimately decided against running the initiative. City staff pointed out municipalities typically do not take the lead in these sorts of initiatives, but they may work in partnership with the appropriate organizations to make them 

Council subsequently directed city staff to work with Odlozinski and community organizations to discuss best practices, ideal locations, and to find an organization willing to take it on.

At Monday’s council meeting, Odlozinski gave an update on the project to council.

He said working with city council, staff, and community organizations over the past year has shown him how it’s important to “do it right, rather than quickly.”

“By working with (city staff), we took the right approach to bring the community fridge closer than ever to helping Orillia’s most vulnerable for years to come,” he said. “Food Insecurity is an ever-growing issue that is impacting thousands in Orillia every day.”

He noted "32 per cent of the Sharing Place’s visitors are 18 or younger. This is an issue that is impacting many of my peers at school, motivating me to be a part of the solution.”

In 2019, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s Nutritious Food Basket Survey stated that roughly 70,000 people, or one in eight households, could not afford a healthy diet in Simcoe County. 

Numerous members of council applauded Odlozinski for his efforts to bring a community fridge to Orillia.

Coun. Ralph Cipolla commended Odlozinski for mitigating various concerns surrounding food safety by working with the Sharing Place.

“You’re fantastic. Thank you so much for what you do,” Cipolla said. “I really want to commend you, and I hope someday you'll be sitting (in the mayor’s) chair when you grow up.”

Coun. Janet-Lynne Durnford commended Odlozinski for his patience and persistence.

“He said it's more essential to do it right than to do it quickly, and I think (that’s) really commendable,” she said.

“Sometimes we get frustrated with red tape and processes, and it is frustrating, but sometimes they work, and I think this is a good example of that process working and the right community partner being found.”


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Greg McGrath-Goudie

About the Author: Greg McGrath-Goudie

Greg has been with Village Media since 2021, where he has worked as an LJI reporter for CollingwoodToday, and now as a city hall/general assignment reporter for OrilliaMatters
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