https://player.vimeo.com/video/811339699
Imagine trying to feed yourself on $87 a month. How about $23? Older adults who qualify for the minimum SNAP benefit will see their amount fall from $281 per month to just $23 in March. Here’s the NPR Article: What SNAP recipients can expect as benefits shrink in March.
Now, more than ever, the Community Fridge programs can help to keep people from starving. Listen to Sheri Leigh Myers interview three of her fellow cooks and a retired gentleman who credits the New Orleans Community Fridge program with keeping him going while he was homeless, and now gives back. Listen to the inspiring and informational interviews with Mike Boyle, Caroline Forbes, Allison Stock, and Steve. If you can help feed the hungry, please take action. Every little bit makes a difference.
To get involved with the New Orleans Community Food Project, email: blindhug@gmail.com
The Community Fridge Movement Could Change The Way We Think About Helping Each Other
In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply.
TRANSCRIPT:
Why We Cook for the Community Fridge
00:00:05 - 00:05:00
Welcome to angel lady movie talk where we discuss the issues in our film angel lady and meet the filmmakers. One of the issues in our film is building community and building community with the use of the community fridge. Today, we're going to be talking about how to start a fridge with Mike Boyle. The person who got me into this in the first place and then we will be meeting the other cooks from New Orleans that I cook with. Mike Boyle, then tell us about yourself. What is your background? My background, I mean, 30 years is nonprofit fundraiser. So I guess I'm used to the charitable aspect of life. And I always, you know, the hard part is always convincing people that they can make a difference. Because we tend to get overwhelmed by the size and scope and magnitude of the problems, whether it's hunger or education, you name it. There's 9000 good causes out there. So, you know, at the onset of the pandemic, it was clear that, especially in norms, with an economy that is based so much on the hospitality industry. Yes. And where hospitality, that industry was just destroyed, basically, for lack of a better frame for quite some time. By the pandemic. A lot of people lost their jobs. Livelihoods disappeared overnight, really. The people that had no idea what hunger was found themselves facing the choice whether to pay rent or buy food. And for a lot of us, that wasn't that wasn't acceptable. But the other side of that is, what do I do? What can I do out? There were a lot of things that were happening then. But, you know, on macro scales. And my wife and I did some donations, and that sort of thing. But we also wanted to do something a little more hands on. And that's, you know, we had seen the community fridges and that's how we got involved in that because we both like to cook and it allowed it and gave us a tangible hands on experience with helping up. And I think that was the important part for us. Well, let's explain, what is the purpose of a community fridge? I guess for me, it's twofold. It's obviously to supply meals for those who need it. There's a lot of food insecurity. I mean, for a lot of reasons. One, you know, the sheer cost of food, economics, but also especially in inner city areas. It's a food desert. You know, it's hard to get quality food in a lot of those areas. And people don't have cars. So that's tough. But I think it's also a great way to get people involved in their community. I agree. Without a whole lot of heartache and pain, I mean, it could be something as simple as making a dozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It doesn't have to be traumatic. It doesn't have to be a dozen chafing dishes. You're not feeding an army. One person isn't going to change the world. But you're going to change one person's world for a night,