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@tinker I’m trying to do something like this in my town, and Susan Kaye Quinn over on Bluesky sent me your way.
The most surprising thing to me is how long it took to find a host. I’m hoping to get food to people quick with SNAP going away and I don’t think months is going to work.
I may want to focus on simple to start.
@cferdinandi - So getting the first one or two hosts is hard, especially if there are no towns or cities close by that has them as an example.
Once you get one or two going, others come out pretty quick and want to host as well.
DM me your town if you like, and I'll see if there's anything in your area right now.
The easiest thing to put into place are "little free pantries" - they don't require electricity or concrete pads or anything like that at all.
Here is an example of one of those: https://infosec.exchange/@tinker/115425298100180093
Let me know if you have any questions or need advice or guidance, I'll provide what I have.
@tinker Oh there are, actually! Two surrounding towns, plus one a bit further away.
My current struggles:
1. Overthinking. I need to be picking up phones or visiting sites and talking to potential hosts.
2. Resistance from folks who see this as "competition" with the local food pantry (which is open just 3 hours a week).
3. My own concerns about whether or not I'm doing savior-complex shit and using the wrong tools or trying to solve the wrong problems.
@cferdinandi - You've gotten a couple other answers, but I figured I'd weight in.
1) Overthinking: My suggestion would be to see who is building and maintaining those other fridges and see if they have plans to expand out. Barring that, joining a local food group who is interested in building more fridges. Its good to join a group who can help you and you can help them. Really combats over thinking and helps you move into planning and executing.
2) Are you getting resistance right now? Or is it just a fear. If you aren't getting resistance yet, just do it and deal with resistance if it comes - dont stop because of a hypothetical. That said, these aren't meant to replace the food banks. Food banks are great. In our town, we work with the food banks. So whatever they don't distribute, we then move into the fridges. That way nothing goes bad. We also volunteer with food bank distributions. There is a lot of overlap between the two groups.
3) Joining food groups will help you learn what works and what doesn't. Don't worry about savior-complex - people are hungry, people need to eat. Heck, feel all savior-ey and complex-ey as you like... just feed people. Treat it like a project and do what works and drop what doesnt work.
@tinker "So whatever they don't distribute, we then move into the fridges. That way nothing goes bad. We also volunteer with food bank distributions."
That's such a great idea!
And yea, I've been trying to explain to some folks (it IS mostly fear/questioning) that these are mutually exclusive or competing entities. They compliment each other.
This is all great stuff. Thank you so much! ❤️
@cferdinandi - If it helps, here is my canned response to that:
- Food Banks / Food Pantries are amazing. They put together a food package for individuals and they are a great way to buy in bulk using charity donations. But distributions are limited to specific days and some places require means testing which can limit who can get food.
- Free Fridges / Community Outdoor Pantries are amazing. They allow for continuous food distribution and make it very easy to both contribute food and utilize food. There is no means testing and they are open 24/7. But they don't always guarantee food is available when a person visits.
- Food Banks are a centralized model. Free Fridges are a decentralized model. They both work well together. What one lacks the other closes the gap and vice versa. Free Fridges do not replace or compete with Food Banks and Food Banks do not replace or compete with Free Fridges. They both are important parts of a whole.
@tinker I'm also in MA, where the summers can be hot and the winters are COLD and snowy, so I'm wondering if I need to invest in a proper outdoor fridge instead of just building a shelter around an indoor one.
I'm happy to buy that out-of-pocket. I just want this to be successful, if it comes to be.
@cferdinandi - Local environmental conditions will dictate what the best method of distribution is.
An insulated box on a pole is a great "Little Free Pantry" and can be built right now.
Also, it doesn't have to be open year round. You can set dates on it to only be used during Fall and Spring if the weather is really chaotic.
As it is, we only close our fridge in heavy summer if it cant maintain temperature - while the pantry shelves stay open. Long and short, it's not that big of a problem usually. If it is, find another method that works.
@tinker Do you mind me asking what the temp swings are like for you, and what your fridge setup is like (standard fridge with surround, fully enclosed box, etc)?
@cferdinandi - In 2024:
Highest temperature 102 °F August 3
Lowest temperature 10 °F January 18
Generally the outdoor fridge is just a standard fridge. Nothing special. In one of our locations, they're installing a $500 "garage" fridge which will have more insulation.
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