You are a great professional for caring about your resident’s happiness Sandy!
The first thing I'd be looking into is why the epidemic of the issue with the fridges going out? Anything proactive action could greatly reduce the amount of residents in affected in the future.
I realize budgets play a factor, but do you have any coolers to loan while their appliance is being replaced/repaired? Maybe there’s a fridge at the clubhouse or a model apartment that could be used?
If not, I'd definitely suggest something like a personalized apology card with a gift card to a local grocery store. Maybe partner with a local pizza place that would offer you a discount so that if the fridge goes out late in the day, you could make sure you at least get them dinner that evening as an attempt to show you care and are so sorry for the inconvenience.
It’s in circumstances like this one, where you may not be obligated to act, but find a way to go above and beyond to help anyway, that your Residents will see how much you value their time, money and overall well being. Use this “pitfall” to really showcase your superior customer service skills that remind your residents why living at your community is so great. You can’t promise things won’t ever go wrong, however, you can assure them that you jump at the opportunity to make things right again!
Good luck Sandy!
Kelly