🥫 Community Spirit Shines at the Community Refrigerator Ribbon Cutting

On Thursday, October 30th, Mountain Resource Center proudly celebrated the ribbon cutting for the new Community Refrigerator shelter, a project designed and built by Girl Scout Troop 66577 as part of their Silver Award — the highest award a Cadette Girl Scout can earn.

The shelter provides crucial protection from Colorado’s weather and curious wildlife, ensuring that the fridge remains a safe and accessible food resource for our community. The troop’s thoughtful design balances safety and accessibility, featuring a repurposed latching door that keeps wildlife out while remaining easy for everyone to use — no matter their dexterity or lifting ability.

Our ribbon cutters were Teal, who helps rescue food for the fridge (all donors are trained and approved for food safety), and Joyce, who served as the model for ensuring the structure could be used by everyone—except, of course, Cupcake, the bear who famously inspired this project after developing a taste for, of all things, cupcakes. 🐻🧁

Guests also enjoyed a very special “big cupcake” cake, topped with a bear to celebrate Cupcake’s role in sparking this community collaboration, and more human-sized cupcakes with bear toppers.

This project represents what makes our mountain communities so special — teamwork, creativity, and compassion. The Girl Scouts’ thoughtful and lasting contribution will help ensure year-round food access for neighbors who can’t make it to our Food Share Market during open hours.

We’re deeply grateful to the troop, their families, and local partners including Moore Lumber and Altitude Electric, who donated materials and expertise to make the project possible.

💚 A huge thank-you to everyone who came out to celebrate — and to the volunteers who continue to make the Community Refrigerator a success week after week.

📺 You can also watch the story on 9NEWS here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeWfObnJve8
📰 And read about it in the Fairplay Flume: https://www.theflume.com/news/cupcake-bear-community-fridge/article_1ebbe923-3e19-4a2a-b9d8-3bb84f1f9c95.html