Community fridges are helping people throughout the region in their struggles with food insecurity. — Photo courtesy of Eric Haines

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

The COVID pandemic exacerbated food insecurity across the United States, deeply affecting communities like Somerville. According to a report from the Greater Boston Food Bank, in 2020, one in eight people in the area were expected to experience food insecurity due to the COVID pandemic.

Some locals decided to step up and help their community with community fridges and micro pantries. These refrigerators and pantries, typically located outdoors for easy access, allow people to donate food and take it for free.

Eric Haines and his wife Catherine, residents of Somerville for the past eight years, are a key part of the Somerville Fridges and Micropantries database and Facebook group. In an email, Haines talked about his involvement with the project and his experiences.

“I love helping people directly share resources with one another,” Haines said. “I learned about the community fridges in Somerville through Facebook, then searched around to find those in Cambridge.”

Haines began his involvement in the beginning of 2021, while another Somerville resident Kami Ford maintained the database. Once Ford moved out of the city, Haines became the administrator of the site.

“There are certainly more of these boxes and fridges than before COVID hit,” Haines said. “The pandemic disrupted normal large-scale food bank and pantry operations. The advantages of the fridges and micro pantries is that they’re accessible at all times.”

Looking towards the future, Haines hopes to keep community fridges and micro pantries stocked.

“My small contribution at this point is mostly getting information out. Beyond the map, there are about five boxes I can easily visit in the neighborhood and check their status, posting the contents to the public Facebook group,” Haines said.

Anyone looking to donate or use their local fridges and micro pantries can find more information at http://bit.ly/bookproj and the Facebook group Somerville MA Community Fridges & Micropantries Public.