As lines at local food pantries began stretching around the block during the pandemic, community fridges emerged as a grassroots response – neighbors feeding neighbors. Community fridges let anyone give and take food freely.
To Mark Bucher, a restaurant owner in Washington, D.C., the appeal of a place to provide free meals was simple: an opportunity to care for others.
Why We Wrote This
Can meeting a neighbor’s need help stabilize an entire community? That’s what some in the community fridge movement are aiming for. Second in a series about hunger in America.
Because some sidewalk fridges have been shut down due to city health codes and permit requirements, Mr. Bucher approached the Department of Parks and Recreation at the outset, which quickly agreed to a partnership. His program, Feed the Fridge, now stocks 19 fridges in community centers around the city. Donations to the program go to local restaurants in exchange for meals for the fridges.
Related
The day before Thanksgiving, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, made an appearance at D.C. Central Kitchen. They met with World Central Kitchen founder Chef José Andrés and thanked the D.C. Central Kitchen staff members who were preparing 10,000 holiday meals. During the visit, Emhoff told reporters that food insecurity is one of the issues he hopes to work on while serving as second gentleman.
The 56-year-old entertainment lawyer and father of two has called himself “an advocate for justice and equality.” And while it’s not clear how much experience Emhoff has advocating around food issues, during her time in the Senate, Harris was described as a “great champion” of anti-hunger policy. It’s possible, then, that Emhoff could step up to address one of the most pressing issues of our time.