Turbulence & Community Care
Free food fridges, widely referred to as “Freedges”, began to be widely set up throughout Europe around 2012. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began to run its course, there was a wide emergence of the community food vessels across the United States. Portland Free Fridge started up around that time and has been effective in creating a system of free food pantries and fridges that allowed the sharing of food during this turbulent time!
Around this time, Portland’s Black Lives Matter protests began in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. After the federal agents were sent to “quell” Portland’s protests, Riot Ribs came into fruition. Riot Ribs was a 24-hour volunteer-run, mutual-aid kitchen at the centre of Portland’s Black Lives Matter protests that providing free food to both protestors and passerby alike.
It has been apparent that COVID-19 and political turbulence have shifted ideas of community care through the development of mutual aid. Here are some “Steps to Plugging Into Your Community,” which have been adapted from Uprooted & Rising, that are great places to start!
STEPS TO PLUGGING INTO YOUR COMMUNITY
(adapted from Uprooted & Rising)
#1 Connect with your network. Identity things that you could offer as a network. Identify needs of your network including but not limited to food, housing, childcare, emotional support, support for incarcerated peoples.
#2 Research mutual aid in your community. Access what needs are being met and what are not by local resources.
#3 Map out your capacity. Determine how much money and time you can afford to give. Remember, you can’t care for others if you don’t care for yourself first.
#4 Bring it all together. Now you have brainstormed your needs and what you can offer – now you can plug into your community in whatever capacity is possible for you.
[You can find an extensive list of resources about mutual aid at bigdoorbrigade.com https://docs.google.com/document/d/19iNFxLK7e7i7rz3UfOuoN6Vw3L9gpXtQuSu7V5wSVHM/edit#]
