Take what you need, leave what you can: mutual aid to help combat food insecurity
By Jack Billotti
Over the course of the past year, vibrantly painted structures featuring signs that advertise free food have popped up all over cities across the United States. Giveaways might sound too good to be true, but in this case, they have been made possible by the time and effort of thousands of organizers and volunteers working to combat food insecurity in their communities.
Food shortages, increased food prices, and loss of income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a sharp rise in global food insecurity. According to data collected by the Greater Food Bank Boston, in eastern Massachusetts where I am located, one in eight people is “expected to experience food insecurity in 2020 as a result of the impact of COVID-19.”
One solution to this spike has been the implementation of community fridges by different mutual aid networks in most major U.S. cities. A community fridge is a public outdoor refrigerator that offers fresh food, pantry items, sanitary supplies, and more to communities in need—no questions asked. They are typically kept stocked by volunteers and local businesses that provide donations and pay the electric bill to keep the refrigerators running. Community fridges differ from other charity-based food programs because they put food directly onto the table of those who need it most without any strings attached or means-testing. This is a departure from traditional charities, which take responsibility for resource allocation and make paternalistic decisions about which members of a community are deserving of aid and which are not. If you would like to learn more about the distinction between community care and charity, please check out my mutual aid explainer, found here.
The community fridge movement has evolved in recent years out of similar food-sharing programs in Europe. In 2014, the Berlin-based food waste reduction initiative Foodshare was established to redistributed unwanted food from both businesses and private individuals to food-insecure communities. That same year, Freedge—an international network also focused on combating food insecurity — was formed. Shortly thereafter, community fridge food-sharing initiatives began to spring up all across Europe, until they eventually made their way to Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
In Boston and the surrounding area, there are over five different community fridges (with several more on the way) that have been set up during the pandemic. The first Boston fridge was established at the beginning of September 2020 in the Jamacia Plain neighborhood. The initial fridge is no longer running and its organizers are in search of a new location to host the operation. In the JP Community Fridge’s absence, mutual aid networks in Fenway, Somerville, Cambridge, and more have followed their lead.
Boston, MA 02215
The Fenway Fridge, organized by Earthy Boston, is located in front of the Mei Mei restaurant in the city’s Back Bay neighborhood. It is stocked by volunteers and is currently accepting donations that include fresh produce, pantry items, juice, milk, toiletries, unopened household goods, and more. Pre-prepared meals from licensed kitchens are also being accepted, but they should be labeled with the business name, ingredients, the date made, and the expiration date.
Links to donate and volunteer information can be found at their LinkTree.
Somerville, MA 02143
The Somerville Community Fridge is located in Union Square. It was first established in November 2020, and the fridge is currently accepting donations of produce, pantry staples, canned goods, toiletries, and more. Pre-prepared meals that are properly labeled with the ingredients, the date made, and the expiration date are also being accepted.
Donation links, along with volunteer information, and updates about a second Somerville fridge coming soon can be found at their LinkTree.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Located a few steps outside of Cambridge’s iconic music venue, the Sinclair, The Fridge in the Square began servicing the Harvard-area just over a month ago. It is currently accepting donations of fresh produce, dairy products, pantry products, packaged foods, face masks, cleaning supplies, and more.
More information about volunteering and donations can be found at their LinkTree or on Instagram @cambridgefridge.
These are just three examples of the many community fridges that find their home in the greater-Boston area alone. There are hundreds of other opportunities to fight food insecurity across the country and more are popping up each day. If there is not already a community fridge in your area, please consider following this link to learn more about starting one. If you are lucky enough to live in a community with a fridge, please consider making donations (either in the form of food or money), or volunteering your time to help with the fridge’s maintenance. It is only through the blood, sweat, and tears put in by organizers and activists involved that these initiatives are made possible.
For a complete list of Boston-area community fridges, please follow this link. More information about community fridges across the world can be found here.
