Atlanta Is Down to One Community Fridge

In 2020, six community refrigerators were installed across Atlanta thanks to the work of local activist Latisha Springer. Four years on, Springer has since moved from the city, and only one fridge remains. Writing at Modern Farmer, Sarah Gleim takes a look at the ups and downs of maintaining the last fridge that offers free food to anyone who wants it, and why the movement has slowed despite people needing aid more than ever. Dekalb County, which includes Atlanta, had a poverty rate 18.6% for children aged of 5-17 in 2022 (higher than the state average of 16.3%). The last community refrigerator is located outside the North Decatur Presbyterian Church, a location with an astounding rate of food insecure children (about 21%, compared to the county's rate of 11.2%).

Helping serve these populations is the ATLFreeFridge, which is stocked by the community, maintained by volunteers, and receives electricity from the church. While other services exist, this mutual aid model is nimble. Brian Goebel, managing director at Emory University's Business and Society Institute, told Decaturish that it "allows people to be innovative to gather quickly and get started to do something and meet needs." Services go beyond food, with a dedicated case manager through the church who helps people find jobs and housing. "It's hard to ignore the needs of so many people coming to our fridge. It hits you in the face," says Nancy Gathany, a church member.

But the fridge also attracts complaints from neighbors, who aren't happy with encampments popping up or people loitering, as the fridge has become "a hangout of sorts," Modern Farmer writes. Acts of vandalism have disrupted service, including, most recently, someone cutting the fridge's wire in July. But the clear local impact the community refrigerator has is what's keeping the church committed to holding the space for those who need it. "If it wasn't for this fridge, I definitely wouldn't get to eat as healthy as I do," one customer shared. "It's amazing what people donate." (Refrigeration changed food in unexpected ways.)