The Solidarity Fridge
Noticing a growing need in her community resulting from worsening food insecurity, Victoria Flores found a way to help feed her neighbors. Setting up a public fridge right outside her own home at 5502 Blackthorn Drive, the Solidarity Fridge is available to anyone at any time.
Flores launched the fridge on May 1st, 2021, which became an instant success. She shared that that specific date was important because it was ‘May Day,’ also known as International Workers’ Day.
“East Las Vegas has a lot of working-class people who are in the struggle and the hustle,” she said, explaining how she wanted to honor them. “The mission of the fridge is to uplift our community and end food disparities.”
The Inspiration for the Solidarity Fridge
Personal Perspective
Coming from generations of farmers and Indigenous people who cultivated the land and produced their own crops, Flores shared how her inspirations for the idea stem from a desire to return to communal roots and ensure food access to everyone
“My parents struggled with poverty and getting meals on the table early on in their marriage, so food insecurity and food waste is a huge thing for me,” she said.
Community Solidarity
Already active in the community helping with various mutual aid efforts, Flores became more aware of food insecurity closer to home.
“It dawned on me that I’m driving across town to different parts of the city, starting up these initiatives when there was a need in my own community,” she said. “I was born and raised in Vegas; this is my home. And the pandemic exacerbated the problems we all already faced. So, I thought I should do something to help.”
From working in the community, Flores knew that there were food pantries all over the city but saw issues of accessibility for people trying to get food. For example, many people lack reliable transportation, and some organizations require documentation to receive food donations.
“I wanted to help out the most vulnerable and marginalized communities,” she said. “With us, there are no questions; just mutual aid, being there for one another, and uplifting our neighbors and our community.”
Flores went on to say that it shouldn’t be this difficult for people to have affordable, nutritious food.
“There’s so much food waste in this country; no one should be going hungry,” she said.
The Final Straw
One event in particular ultimately prompted her to finally take action.“I was outraged after what happened in Portland earlier this year,” she said.
Back in February, a Fred Meyer grocery store threw food out after their fridges failed during a winter storm. Store associates called the police out when a group of people showed up wanting to salvage any usable food for families in need.
Eventually, the police left, and people could get to the food, but the thought of police essentially guarding a dumpster full of food didn’t sit well with most people.
This event, coupled with the overall motivation factor arising out of the pandemic, Flores began formulating an idea to help feed her community.
Setting up the Fridge
Forming the Idea
While researching ways to address food insecurity, Flores said that she was lucky enough to come across the website for the Las Vegas Town Fridge, formally(?) located in Downtown Las Vegas.
“I’d never seen or heard about this before. So when I found out about the fridge, I reached out to [John Thomas Chou] about it and if it was still up,” she said. “He immediately replied to me, and we set up a meeting. I was lucky to have his support and encouragement.”
With Chou getting ready to move for school, it worked out well that Flores wanted to manage a new fridge in the community, and things “took off from there” as the community showed up to help her make the fridge a success.
Prepping the Fridge
Starting with an empty fridge that her family helped clean and sanitized, Flores shared that people in the community showed up to help.
“I started with an empty fridge that my family helped to clean and sanitize,” she said. “People donated everything else, from the wood to build the shelter for the fridge to help weatherize it and things to make the sign, to all the food and other donations we received.”
Adding Some Color
Flores even got local artist Perry Porter to paint the fridge. Formerly from Seattle, Porter is one of the artists invited to paint the Black Lives Matter mural in Capitol Hill, Seattle, in June of 2020. Each letter represents an artist who is Black, Indigenous, or a person of color. Porter painted the first ‘L’ in the mural.
“Here I am, messaging a person with thousands of followers,” Flores said about contacting Porter to collaborate with him on the fridge. “He said he was down because it was for the people.”
Porter painted his iconic “self-portrait” of a great white shark with octopus arms and flower petals around its neck on the front of the fridge.
Working With the Houseless Community
Generally, setting up the fridge posed little challenge to Flores. Since the fridge is on private property, she doesn’t need approval from the city. In contrast, this was an issue that the Las Vegas Town Fridge faced when setting up the fridge downtown.
The only issue Flores said she initially faced, in the beginning, was that some houseless people in the area started camping right on her property.
“I had to have a conversation with them that to keep this going, we have to make sure they don’t camp out there and that we have to keep it clean because it’s for everyone,” she said. “I only had to talk to them once, and there have been no issues about it since.”
How the Fridge Operates
Available 24/7
Cutting out the need for a middle person like finding a host for the fridge, Flores set up the fridge residentially outside her own home. With a walkway leading right up to the fridge, anyone can access the fridge to take or leave donations at any time; no need to knock on the door.
“Neighbors even added rocks and lights to the path to make it more visible,” she said.
A Helping Hand
As the facilitator for the fridge, Flores manages a majority of tasks for the fridge. Though, she’s not without help.
“I have volunteers who pick up donations, do fridge upkeep, sanitize things, and make social media posts for the fridge,” she said. Aside from volunteers, the community itself upholds the fridge as well.
Reduced Food Waste, Increased Food Security
Flores shared that there’s lots of turn-around on the food.
“Once someone brings something, it’s gone pretty quickly,” she said. “Water and produce are the first things to go. This is great because I didn’t want people to just constantly bring canned food or processed items, or things about to expire.”
With so many food deserts in the valley, especially on the East Side, ensuring people have access to fresh food is essential for public health. Since the Solidarity Fridge launched, the community has shown up to help one another.
Desired Items
Ideally, Flores said anything with a shelf life is preferred, in addition to water, fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and plant-based milk products, and anything to help people make meals.
Non-food items are also appreciated like menstrual products, hygiene products, diapers, baby food or formula, and any other supplies to help families in the community. These items are kept in the pantry built into the shelter, next to the fridge.
“We have an individual named Malia who frequently donates pet items like pet food, snacks, toys, and even CBD products,” she added. Malia is a local animal rescuer in the Las Vegas community.
Anything helpful to the community is welcome at the Solidarity Fridge.
Challenges
With things running smoothly and successfully for the fridge, Flores shared that the main challenge that she’s faced is more of a personal one involving her stepping outside of her comfort zone.
“The overwhelming support from the community made it easier,” she said. “Anytime someone would reach out, it was a push to get past that. Also, it was a helpful mindset to learn about taking out the word “I” and saying “we,” instead.”
Flores went on to say that, “Individual burden is not meant to be carried alone; it’s much more powerful to work as a collective. We share resources so everyone’s needs are met. That’s the foundation of mutual aid.”
Besides this, the only significant challenge affecting the fridge has been the brutal heat this summer from the unprecedented heatwaves.
“The heat makes it harder to run the fridge,” Flores explained. “We put a screen on the pantry area, to help block out the sun rays.”
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Goals
As the fridge grows and reaches more people, Flores said she hopes to inspire people to pay it forward by setting up their own fridges, helping the homeless, and finding creative ways to provide mutual aid and build the community.
“I’m all for helping people if anyone wants to reach out and ask how they can go about setting up their own fridge,” she said. More fridges mean more food security in the community.
Flores shared that she’s also working on building a neighborhood library, adding that a local architecture student from UNLV is building a shelter for it.
The concept here is that people can bring and exchange books with others who come to get or donate food from the fridge.
She also wants to set up a community garden on the East Side where everyone can come out and help grow food available for anyone who needs it year-round.
Overall, the concept of creating a circular system in the community is the primary goal of the fridge.
“It’s not about need all the time; it’s also about building community and reducing food waste,” Flores said.
Misconceptions About Food Insecurity
From her experience working with mutual aid and managing the fridge herself, Flores shared a few misconceptions she’s observed or heard from the community.
“People tend to think that food-insecure inherently means ‘homeless’ when it’s not; it affects your neighbors, the working-class community, students, and other people we engage with every day,” she said.
Now that she’s managed the fridge for a few months, she’s observed people from all walks of life donate and come to it.
“Some of my takeaways from everything are the stories I hear from people, how grateful and appreciative they are, and the connections made between everyone,” she said.
Flores explained that before the pandemic, she was constantly on the go, working a job in finance, and shared that she’s ashamed to say that she didn’t know any of her neighbors before.
“There’s definitely been a shift since then,” she said. “It’s nice getting to know the people. And it’s been really rewarding for me to be able to help them and address a problem in the community.”
Community Collaborations
Flores shared that the Solidary Fridge works with many different community partners to address food insecurity, homelessness, and more.
“We do weekly meal preps with Fifth Sun Project, with the distribution of those prepped meals done by Las Vegas Liberation,” she said. “We’ve also partnered with UMOK before for a ‘Clean the World’ initiative. At that event, our houseless neighbors got showers, clothes, and haircuts. We provided the meals.”
Flores even shared how she’s noticed that people began taking food that’s about to spoil out of the fridge, prep it as a meal, and bring it back for someone ever since she’s started the meal preps for the homeless community to eat.
From all the work she’s done thus far, she shared that she’s met so many inspiring beings.
“I’m connecting with people on a personal level, and I’m aligning with other people and organizations that have the heart to help people,” she said. “Everything is so encouraging. I started the fridge to inspire my community to come together, and in return, they’re encouraging me and taking care of me. It’s been a full-circle experience.”
Flores concluded by saying there’s more work to be done in the community.
“I’m open to partnering with other people that want to help our communities, our children, and the betterment of society in this world,” she said. “Contact me if you’re interested in helping out with the solidarity fridge, or if there are any ways that I can help you and your organization.”
#GetinMotion with the Solidarity Fridge
Help is always needed at the Solidarity Fridge; there’s something for everyone to contribute!
Show Up
“No matter how someone helps, the best thing to do to support the fridge is to show up in the first place,” Flores said. “If anyone has any questions or wants to help and needs ideas for what’s needed, they can always message me directly.”
Donate
Making a monetary donation to Solidarity Fridge is also a great way to help out.
“Donation through our Venmo help pay for the electricity for the fridge, which in the summer is really high,” Flores said.
Donate to @Solidarity-Fridge through Venmo to help!
Follow & Share
Follow the Solidarity Fridge on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news about the fridge, needed donations, and volunteer opportunities. Sharing posts also helps to break the algorithms and raise awareness about the fridge.
“You never know who needs it, so spread the word to reach more people,” she said.
Volunteer
People volunteering their time to the fridge helps contribute to its success immensely.
“I love seeing the young volunteers come out,” Flores said. “Sometimes they volunteer for the food preps, find out about the fridge there, and then start coming out separately.”
She added that she always needs volunteers for the weekly meal preps and tasks like general fridge upkeep. This includes cleaning and sanitizing the fridge, as well as throwing out expired food. Volunteers also help with picking up donations from people to bring to the fridge.
“Eventually, I want to have volunteers help with outreach, like contacting businesses that throw out food that can still be used or preserved longer, and having them donate it for the fridge,” she added.
Help Address Food Insecurity
Flores said that the community at large can help address food insecurity by contacting representatives about the issue, speaking out against injustices relating to poverty, and growing your own food as individuals and as a community.
Ultimately, donating to the fridge is the most important thing to do if it’s all you can do. Drop off food any time to the fridge at 5502 Blackthorn Drive. Bringing fresh produce and water for the community to access goes a long way in addressing hunger and food insecurity.
“We want people to be mindful of what they’re consuming,” Flores said. “We’re focused on making our neighborhood healthier and more health-conscious; anything fresh, healing, and nourishing, we love to see it.”
