The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the national hunger crisis across the country. In Massachusetts, the number of households struggling with food insecurity more than doubled, from about 8% pre-COVID to a record high of 19% during the pandemic.

Emergency food access programs, food pantries and even targeted pandemic food subsidies did not eliminate the hunger emergency. That inspired some communities across the state to install community refrigerators, filled with food shared by neighbors and local businesses.

Maria Ravelli, of Woo Fridge and organizer behind the first-ever Worcester community fridge, shares that she is, "fueled by equal parts love and rage" to continue creating neighborly food-sharing spaces.

Since the pandemic, these fridges have continued to serve the high demand of the community.

"We do multiple checks a day to make sure that the fridge is clean, that it's as stocked as it can be," Megan Ramette, an organizer of the Allston-Brighton fridge, said. "Things that we see that are stocked in the morning often don't last through the afternoon, and they certainly don't last through the evening."