Case Description
Vulnerable people were hit hard by the pandemic, facing unemployment and decreased access to emergency food systems. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the implementation of accessible community fridges grew significantly. With the fridges, New Yorkers started to offer free food to whoever was in need of a meal. The fridges are taken care of by local businesses, social workers, and other locals, who donate food as a free contribution to the cause. The locations of the over 100 fridges in NYC are available on google maps, making this intervention more open and accessible to the public.
Relation to Resilience
The community fridges form a low-threshold means to serve the primary needs of fellow city residents in times of pandemic. Various fridges are now an integral part of neighborhoods’ fabric, playing a more consistent role in serving the vulnerable.