Duke Deger has remained a fixture of the Newmarket Food Pantry’s community fridge.
Without anyone initially asking him to, Deger has stayed by the fridge as a volunteer every single day for the past couple of years. He said he was motivated to help there after the passing of his wife a few years ago, with the fridge giving him something to be part of again.
“It means so much,” Deger said of the fridge. “It helps out so many people. It’s incredible.”
The Town of Newmarket recognized Deger’s dedication today with the first-ever Mayor’s Medal for Exceptional Community Service. The new award will recognize individuals who exemplify exceptional community service through their actions and deeds, with the town planning to present these medals throughout the year.
"This medal will honour those rare individuals who have gone above and beyond and have provided transformative impact through their actions," the municipality said, adding that where possible, it will be presented where people are actually making a difference.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor was on hand to award the medal.
“This is a higher-order recognition and I thought, really, you set the bar,” Taylor said. “Thank you for what you do for the community, for making this incredible community asset, this fridge, work.”
The fridge has been operating since 2022. Deger began volunteering informally later that year, cleaning the fridge, helping with deliveries and welcoming people who access the fridge. After all his time spent helping there, the Newmarket Food Pantry decided to make him an official volunteer.
Deger, called a “gentle giant” by the people he has helped, said it was an honour to receive the award.
“It’s amazing. I wasn’t expecting anything like this, so yes, I can’t believe it,” he said. "It’s a very proud moment for me.”
After spending time by the fridge virtually every day for the past couple of years, Deger said he still plans to continue the effort.
“It’s done very well and helped so many people,” he said.
