Community Efforts Addressing Food Insecurity
By Lina Fisher, Fri., Aug. 21, 2020
While organizations like Central Texas Food Bank, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Austin Food Not Bombs have been around and doing this work for decades, homegrown initiatives like Free Lunch have been popping up at a prodigious rate since the start of the pandemic, fueled by Austinites eager to rally for their community. Below are a few more new and unconventional free food crews; for a more exhaustive list, check out Eater Austin's recent compilation of volunteer and donation opportunities, as well.
ATX Free Fridge Project
Provides fridges stocked with perishables and dry goods to food-insecure neighborhoods; the colorful facades double as a community art project. (Find our July 27 profile online.) www.instagram.com/atxfreefridge.
Street Forum ATX
Protest support organization that hosts weekly coffee and breakfast hours for the unhoused on Sundays, 9-11am, in Republic Square Park. They also provide supplies to the Feed the Homeless Initiative, providing care packages to the camps next to APD headquarters every Wednesday, which was started by Austin Direct Action, Garrett Foster, and his fiancée Whitney Mitchell, and carried on by Austin Area Reform. www.instagram.com/streetforumatx.
Red Beans and Ricely Yours
Maris Clegg and Chris Cubas provide meals of red beans and rice, andouille sausage, cornbread, fruit, dessert, and a drink delivered to anyone who signs up through Facebook on Tuesdays. (See "Community Nourishment," Food, July 10.) www.fb.com/redbeansaustin.
Despacho
Formed last week, this collective has already delivered 120 meals to unhoused communities and helped stock ATX Free Fridges with cold gazpacho. www.instagram.com/despachoatx.
