October 27, 2026
Provided Image/Victoria Jayne
The food pantry at South Philadelphia Community Fridge’s Point Breeze location burned down Monday night, volunteers said.
South Philadelphia Community Fridge will operate without a pantry in its Point Breeze location for the foreseeable future after a fire destroyed the food storage structure Monday night.
The nonprofit, which oversees eight refrigerators and pantries that store free food around South Philly, raised enough money in the hours after the blaze to replace the $200 pantry, but the group is waiting for authorities to investigate before installing it, said Victoria Jayne, a volunteer with the organization.
In the meantime, the refrigerator on 19th and Ellsworth streets will be working "double duty," and will be used to store both perishable and non-perishable food donations for the community to use, Jayne said.
"Our primary goal right now is just making sure that we're keeping the remaining fridge stocked and communicating to neighbors that it's still open," she said. "You certainly can put a pack of ramen in a refrigerator. You can put a box of cereal in a refrigerator. So, we're just functioning like that."
The fire was reported just after 9 p.m. Monday, Jayne said, and a potential cause is unknown. Damage was contained to the wooden pantry structure, and it was unclear how much food was lost.
By the time police officers arrived to the site at around 10:41 p.m., the fire had been extinguished, Officer Tanya Little with the Philadelphia Police Department, said in a statement.
"We're trying to avoid speculating," Jayne said. "We're really just focused on making sure that we're still able to provide food to the community that visits the 19th and Ellsworth location."
The adjacent community fridge and site host, Luhv vegan bistro, were not impacted by the blaze. Representatives with the Philadelphia Fire Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The South Philadelphia Community Fridge located at the corner of 19th and Ellsworth streets in Point Breeze. The pantry, left, burned down on Monday evening.
Provided Image/Victoria Jayne
The Point Breeze structure was installed three years ago and has quickly become one of the most-used locations out of the nonprofit's eight sites, Jayne said.
"We see a lot of people in Point Breeze who need help accessing free fresh food and the need grows every year," she said. "We're just really committed to making this work, even when we have challenges like this."
News of the fire was posted to a local social media neighborhood page Monday night.
While an investigation gets underway, neighbors and community members can help by keeping the block corner clean and free of debris, donating items to the community fridge and helping transport excess food to other locations. Financial donations can also be made online.
"There's always a balance," Jayne said. "Obviously, there is the deep disappointment and sadness of losing a pantry and the events that transpired. But, then of course, there's also the realization that your community is going to take care of you."
