Refrigerators full of free food have been popping up all over the place in New York City as the global coronavirus pandemic continues and many are struggling to make ends meet.
From Harlem to Brownsville, sidewalks outside buildings across the city have been converted into help-your-self pantries for those in need. Mayor Bill de Blasio shared, “Before the coronavirus, we thought somewhere around a million people were food insecure and needed food. Now we think that number is two million or more.”
Sara Allen and Selma Raven are just one of the couples who bought a refrigerator together and keep it stored outside of a locally owned storefront. Every day for the past six weeks, they spend 45 minutes stocking the fridge with donated eggs, potatoes and spinach among others. Their fridge is just one of at least 15 spread out among the boroughs working in tandem with Our Hearts, a grassroots organization focused on “building a culture of resistance” to combat “food insecurity” and foster “stronger bonds between neighbors.”
