In Richmond, Virginia access to quality food can be a challenge, particularly in marginalized communities. But mutual aid, community building, and collaboration among people working in the food justice space have made a difference in the city. Intergenerational collaboration has also been key to addressing food insecurity and promoting food sovereignty.

Barry Greene Jr., Next City’s Equitable Cities Fellows for Reparations Narratives who lives in Richmond, describes the city’s food accessibility. “Depending on what side of the river you live on, your access to grocery stores or fresh food differs. And while we have community gardens, they sometimes have issues with general maintenance and upkeep,” he says, noting that the Southside has less access.  

One of the people making sure people are fed in Richmond is Taylor Scott, founder of RVA Community Fridges, one of numerous community fridge efforts that have cropped up across the country (and the world) in recent years. We hear from Scott in this episode when she spoke on a panel during Next City’s Vanguard Richmond conference in September 2023. Scott shared about what it took to get started, getting connected with people already doing similar work, and the intention of doing mutual aid work — not charity work.

“A big difference for us in charity and nonprofit is a lot of people when they do charity work, they never go back,” she says. “For us, a big part of the mutual aid work is the fact that you come back again and you get integrated into the community and actually start to be a part of that community.”To hear more about the importance of collaboration in food justice work and the ongoing mutual aid of community fridges, listen to the full episode and subscribe to Next City.