Photo courtesy: Community fridge and pantry hosted by the Brighton Allston Congregational Church (Leire Cuberes Barluenga/NEHSJC)
The Allston and Brighton Community Fridge and Pantry, a mutual aid effort created in 2020 to combat food insecurity, has shut down and relocated a number of times in recent years.
Organized by neighbors of Allston-Brighton, the effort consists of a colorful fridge and shed, containing foods and materials that volunteers routinely restock. They typically serve the elderly or immigrants, volunteer Emily Schubin said.
“It's so rare that there’s a resource available to people unrestricted 24 hours a day with no barriers to access it,” she said.
These relocations have traveled throughout Allston and Brighton, including Union Square, Oliveira’s Deli and, currently, Brighton’s Congregational Church.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity rose, resulting in a need for community fridges. Over time, the number of statewide fridges grew to 20. However, this number has since dwindled down to 12.
“About 1 in 4 families with children across the state are food insecure,” long-time volunteer and Allston-Brighton resident Megan Ramette said. “Each closure of a community fridge has a massive negative impact.”
Hector Sonero, a Brighton resident and father of five, expressed in Spanish his reliance on the fridge and pantry alongside his wife and a cart of food.
“We have people who visit the fridge, constantly, all hours of the day. No matter the weather, no matter what day of the week. That tells you that there is a tremendous amount of need,” Schubin said.
Some of the difficulties volunteers have faced included miscommunications with landlords and evictions. In one instance, a landlord purposefully unplugged a fridge, spoiling food worth hundreds of dollars.
Additionally, when the fridges shut down and their visitors would ask about alternatives, volunteers had difficulty responding.
“There’s a massive difference between information about food pantries miles away and a meal in hand to eat right away,” Ramette said.
Schubin said that gentrification is a possible cause of marginalization of those in need, putting mutual aid efforts through difficult decisions such as relocating. Most lack support from hosts or communities in donations and care, leaving them to abandon neighborhoods in dire need and with few resources.
Photo: Location of the only running fridge and pantry in the Allston-Brighton area (Leire Cuberes Barluenga/NEHSJC)
“When you see every member of your community as your neighbor, you cannot ignore their suffering,” Ramette said.
However, volunteers are hopeful for the fridge’s future.
Photo above: The welcome sign seen upon approaching the fridge and pantry in Brighton (Leire Cuberes Barluenga/NEHSJC)