"The people were so very kind...I felt only love, not judgment. I used to go elsewhere in fear of encountering people who knew me or worse, my Mom, as she would've been mortified that I was supplementing our thin grocery with donations. I was embarrassed but they made me feel as though it was perfectly natural. There's something very base about feeding others. Giving life & love through food.” – Community Freezer Guest

The Melrose Community Freezer offers free frozen meals prepared and donated by local community cooks.

A partnership between First United Methodist Church of Melrose (FUMC) and The Food Drive, the Community Freezer program is held every Sunday from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at the church, which is centrally located at 645 Main Street in Melrose. The Melrose Community Freezer is housed at FUMC and stocked with individual and family-style meals by volunteer cooks, plus donations from local businesses Buckalew’s General Store, Harrow’s Chicken Pies, and personal chef/baker Mama Jean.

All are welcome to visit and choose healthy frozen meals at no cost; proof of residency or income are not required. Meals are offered in the chapel, which is just inside the front doors of the church and accessible for mobility-impaired guests via a ramp to the side door.  Each guest chooses frozen meals from a wide selection organized by category by volunteers, and may also select meals for family members and/or neighbors who are unable to attend in person.. To accompany each meal, guests may also choose from homemade treats made with love by children and youth at FUMC, in addition to local bakers. Since its launch in early 2022, the Melrose Community Freezer program has provided over 5000 meals, thanks to donations from the Melrose FUMC congregation and volunteer cooks.

The program works to meet specific requests from guests and to maintain meals for dietary needs, including vegetarian, gluten-free, and low salt…items that are not always readily available at pantries and soup kitchens.