LEAD: Mutual aid is a voluntary, reciprocal exchange of resources and services. Outside of Omie’s coffee shop in Durham, it’s taking the form of a new community fridge that gives members of the community access to fresh food at no cost. The opening of Durham’s third fridge comes from A collective of groups like Root Causes, Durham Community Fridges, and Bagging It 4 Kids.
TRACK: Bagging it 4 Kid’s founder Ginger Allison, who grew up food insecure, says the partnership has opened up a range of opportunities.
Ginger Allison: The benefits are the community is growing, collective is growing, the volunteer base is growing…you see how many people are out here today? That’s pretty impressive, and that’s just like a dream.
TRACK: The fridges not only provide food for the community, but combat food waste in the process, a root cause of hunger in the United States.
Ginger Allison: I think it’s important to note that eliminating and reducing food waste is paramount to ending hunger; you can’t do one without the other.
TRACK: Doreen Opinya, who began working with Ginger in January of 2024, has seen the positive impact these fridges have had on the community.
Doreen Opinya: I can’t tell you how many times that people have come to us [BFK] and said like I didn’t know where I was gonna get food this week until I actually came and got food from y’all and it’s moments like that that make you realize that this work is really important.
TRACK: According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, a little less than 11 percent of the state’s population experiences food insecurity.
Sharmîn Aziz, is one of the nine founders of Durham Community Fridges
Sharmîn Aziz: You don’t have to have a beautiful structure like we have to open a fridge. I want to see fridges just plugged in with no structure on the corner you know.
TRACK: Last year Chapel Hill opened its very own community fridge
STAND-UP: The Chapel Hill community fridge receives donations from Weaver Street Market and Whole Foods Market.
TRACK: Cayson Tiedge, is working for food justice,
Cayson Tiedge: We’re like the richest nation in the world and people are hungry. You know what I mean? That’s kind of outrageous
TRACK: Amienata Fatajo believes destigmatizing mutual aid is the first step.
Amienata Fatajo: Mutual aid and access to free food is not something that should be scandalized. Like if you’re hungry, that’s the prerequisite just come and get food. Is the fridge empty by the end of the week? Yeah? Then people are hungry and people need it.
TAG: In Chapel Hill, I’m Dani Hart, reporting.
