VCU’s Ram Fridges bring new purpose to leftovers

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia Commonwealth University is giving a new purpose to its leftovers with Ram Fridges, in efforts to address food wastes and food insecurities on campus.

According to the university, the Ram Fridges project -- launched by John C. Jones, Ph.D. -- is a project that emphasizes making more fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables easily accessible to students.

The project is supported by a three-year grant of almost $500,000 from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, which aims to both feed students and address food waste.

“In a lot of ways, VCU is really a small city,” said Jones, an assistant professor in the Center for Environmental Studies, which is part of VCU Life Sciences. “We feed thousands upon thousands of people every week. Anecdotally, in my experience working here for years, I’ve seen a lot of food waste. Food that goes into the trash is really wasteful, [especially] when you consider how many VCU students deal with food insecurity.”

In a study from VCU conducted in 2023 by Youngmi Kim, Ph.D., about 35% of students reported that they experienced some type of food insecurity. Efforts like Ram Fridges, Ram Pantry and Little Ram Pantries has been assisting with feeding students on campus for a decade.

The Ram Fridges is accepting donations directly at the fridge locations, as long as they meet the guidelines that are posted on the outside of each fridge.

Donations must be be unopened or sealed dairy products, bread products, pre-packaged meals and uncut produce. Forbidden items include meats, home-cooked meals, open or unsealed items. Safety checks are conducted three days of the the week to ensure guidelines are followed are consumers are safe.

The Ram Fridges are located inside of the Cabell Library, the Cary Street Gym and the lecture wing of the Trani Life Sciences Building. VCU said these changes are expected to begin near fall of 2026. For more information, visit VCU's website.