Safaa SallalBeirut, Lebanon – The winter scene that confronted Nayla al-Sayegh in 2018 would haunt her for months: three people searching through garbage bins for scraps of food to ease their hunger.
From the window of her car in Beirut, she watched as Lebanon's economic crisis began claiming its most vulnerable victims, years before the country would officially acknowledge the scale of its financial collapse.
That moment of profound realisation and reflection led to the launch of a grassroots movement – one that would become the lifeline for thousands of Lebanese families struggling to afford basic meals.
"The neighbourhood has a big heart, and what's suitable for your children is suitable for the fridge," al-Sayegh tells TRT World, explaining the philosophy that drove her to launch the Neighbourhood Fridge movement in 2019.
Braad al-Hayy – as it is called in Arabic – involved placing refrigerators alongside empty plastic containers, creating collection points where residents could deposit surplus food for neighbours in need.
What began as a single refrigerator in Beirut's Ashrafieh district has evolved into a network of community food-sharing centres, which now serve thousands of families.
The initiative represents a grassroots response to Lebanon's unprecedented economic meltdown, which has seen the Lebanese lira lose more than 98 percent of its value since 2019, according to World Bank reports.
As formal institutions crumble, neighbourhood-level solutions like al-Sayegh's fridges offer glimpses of resilience amid a crisis that has pushed one in three Lebanese citizens below the poverty line.
Today, the project operates from three locations across Lebanon, serving an average of 600 meals daily while utilising surplus food that would otherwise be discarded as waste. Running the initiative costs $15,000 to $20,000 monthly, mostly funded by private donors who contribute online, reflecting both the scale of need and the reliance on community generosity.
The model has expanded beyond simple food redistribution to address broader social needs, reflecting how community initiatives are filling gaps left by a failing state.
From individual suffering to collective action
The concept emerged from al-Sayegh's recognition that hunger was becoming visible in middle-class neighbourhoods previously insulated from such hardship.
Despite her public work, al-Sayegh, a mother of three, prefers to keep her own age and family circumstances private. She has dedicated thirty years to volunteering with NGOs serving children with disabilities, a commitment that informs her approach to community care.
Lebanon's financial crisis, which officially began in autumn 2019, has been classified by the World Bank as among the worst economic collapses of the modern era.
The most recent World Bank poverty study from 2024 reveals that the proportion of individuals living below the poverty line tripled between 2012 and 2022, rising from 12 percent to 44 percent.
The crisis has been compounded by multiple shocks, including the Covid pandemic, the devastating August 2020 Beirut port explosion, and most recently, the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The World Bank estimates that the latest conflict alone caused material damage and economic losses of approximately $8.5 billion.
Al-Sayegh began her initiative from the Ashrafieh and Mar Mikhael areas of Beirut and, as economic conditions worsened, expanded it to include Jounieh, making a total of three locations.
The evolution prompted a name change to ‘Braad al-Hayy Qalbu Kbir’ – the Big Heart Neighbourhood Fridge – to reflect its expanded mission.
Building networks of care
Merna al-Dagher, 53, serves as executive director of the initiative and oversees daily operations.
"The neighbourhood fridge changed the perspective on social solidarity," she tells TRT World while coordinating meal preparation in the field kitchen.
"We can support each other with a dish of food from my house that someone who needs it can eat, and we strive through the neighbourhood fridge to preserve human dignity."
The initiative operates on two complementary tracks. Community members, local businesses, and institutions contribute surplus food from events, celebrations, and daily operations, with approximately 70 partners now participating.
Simultaneously, volunteers prepare fresh meals in the dedicated kitchen facility, ensuring consistent daily food distribution regardless of donation fluctuations.
In the field kitchen at Mar Yohanna Church, the morning routine unfolds with practised efficiency.
Volunteers arrange large quantities of food into white plastic containers alongside smaller yellow boxes, maintaining food safety standards despite operating in challenging economic conditions.
Charbel Labakis, 22, stands at the washing station, methodically cleaning containers with soap and water.
Having volunteered with the initiative for three years, he embodies the personal motivation driving many participants. "My dream since childhood was to work with a community initiative because I love giving and helping people," he tells TRT World.
"Seeing people get their food without affecting their dignity makes me happy and brings me joy."
Hanan al-Najjar, an Iraqi woman in her fifties who joined the initiative nine months after its launch, reflects on the personal transformation that participation has brought.
"The neighbourhood fridge changed our view of life," she tells TRT World while carefully selecting appropriate portions for beneficiaries.
"There's been no food waste in my home for five years. I cook according to our needs and bring only what we need."
The initiative's impact extends beyond immediate hunger relief to reshape attitudes toward consumption and waste.
Al-Dagher references a traditional Lebanese saying that the project has transformed: from "Meet me but don't feed me" to "Meet me and feed me," illustrating how the initiative has normalised mutual support in communities where seeking help might have previously carried a social stigma.
Expanding beyond crisis response
During Lebanon's multiple crises, the neighbourhood fridges have demonstrated remarkable adaptability. Following the Beirut port explosion in August 2020, volunteers immediately opened their facilities to provide meals for displaced residents and emergency responders.
Similarly, during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, the initiative supplied food to evacuation centres, Red Cross stations, and civil defence units.
The project's integration into Lebanon's education system illustrates its institutional acceptance and growing scope.
During the academic year, the initiative provides 700 lunch boxes weekly to students at three public schools near their operational areas, coordinating with the ministries of Social Affairs and Education.
Quality control remains paramount despite resource constraints.
Al-Dagher notes that team members received training in food safety and preservation methods, though practical experience has provided the most valuable lessons.
Significantly, the initiative has not recorded any cases of food poisoning, reflecting the volunteers' commitment to maintaining standards.
The plastic container system reinforces the initiative's philosophy of shared responsibility. Beneficiaries must return their containers clean the next day, creating what al-Dagher describes as a partnership model.
"We're all partners in this process," she emphasises, highlighting how the system maintains dignity by framing food receipt as participation rather than charity.
Beneficiaries like Abeer Qazan, 52, represent the human dimension of these statistics.
Arriving each morning to collect her yellow container, she embodies both the need that drives the initiative and the dignity it seeks to preserve. Her regular participation illustrates how the fridges have become integrated into survival strategies for vulnerable community members.
The initiative's twelve-person core team, supplemented by additional volunteers during peak periods, manages operations across all four locations.
Their work represents an investment in community resilience that extends far beyond immediate hunger relief, creating social infrastructure that can respond to multiple types of crises.
Financial constraints represent the primary challenge facing the initiative's continued operation and potential expansion.
Al-Dagher acknowledges these limitations while expressing determination to maintain current services and explore growth opportunities throughout Lebanon.
Despite these challenges, the neighbourhood fridge model offers insights into community-driven responses to systemic failures.
Its success in maintaining operations for five years, expanding to multiple locations, and adapting to various crises demonstrates the potential for local solutions to address gaps in formal social safety nets.
As Lebanon continues navigating its multifaceted crisis, initiatives like al-Sayegh's neighbourhood fridges represent both immediate survival mechanisms and longer-term experiments in social solidarity.
"Every meal saved from waste gives life to another person," al-Sayegh adds, capturing the philosophy that has sustained her initiative through five years of deepening crisis.
