Ok, been a bit since I gave a Food Rescue Program update.
We're still in onboarding for Food Rescue US. I pushed back on some of the contract language and we're sorting it out. Nothing major and they're awesome, it just takes some time.
In the mean time, I've spun up a web site, a discord chat, and a monthly meeting at the library!
We held our first in person meeting and it was a major success! We're pushing Food Rescue initiatives as well as expanding our Free Fridge program!
Folks had amazing ideas and have already started running down those leads.
I told them I'm not the leader. I'll facilitate and help guide and help remove obstacles and provide ideas but I can't do it all and they shouldn't wait on me to approve anything.
Ideas are put up to the group to discuss and shy of any major ethical concerns, usually folks gather up others and go and get it done.
This is going really well.
#solarPunk #foodRescue #mutualAid
Really cool update!
So we had our first win on finding a place that was interested in food rescue... the donut place (see above thread), right?
Right now, I've just been taking them to the Free Fridge each night.
Two things, one someone else has stepped up and is interested in helping glean - grabbing the food at the bakery and then dropping it off at the distribution point.
That's awesome.
Next... and this is amazing... I reached out to a local church that serves breakfast once a week. Asked them if they were interested in getting free fresh donuts for that. They said they were! So once a week, the night before breakfast, IF... we have donuts available, we drop them off at that church instead of the fridge.
Oh... and they're interested in putting a fridge outside of their church as well! Still gotta talk to their leadership and see what all we have to do, but it's a solid lead!!!
Just a little at time... and it keeps growing.
#foodRescue #freeFridge #solarPunk #mutualAid
Massive Update on the Food Rescue front!!!
We worked out the contract issues with Food Rescue US (FRUS - https://foodrescue.us)and we just signed the contract!
We can now begin the rescue efforts in earnest!!!
This is MASSIVE!!!
This initiative started last November,, and while it's had a couple of obstacles, five months from conception to group formation to joining with a national org isn't that long.
We're also going to be joining Food Rescue Alliance (FRA - https://www.boulderfoodrescue.org/food-rescue-alliance/). They're a US based national "mutual aid of mutual aids" sort of thing. So we can join other food rescue groups and learn from each other.
I'd like to see if there's a state group to join as well. If not, I'd like to start one up. A lot of laws and regulations are state based and learning from other groups in our state would be amazing.
Soooo!!!!
Expect some more updates in the coming weeks.
I'm so excited!!!!
#solarPunk #mutualAid #foodRescue #postScarcity #foodSecurity
Today's food rescue: a bunch of submarine sandwiches from a local cafe!
Stuck em in the free fridge.
#solarPunk #mutualAid #foodRescue #foodSecurity #postScarcity #freeFridge
Food Rescue Program Update
HOLY FUCKING SHIT I AM FUCKING SCARED OF TOMORROW!!!! (hint: it's good news)
Ahhhhhhhhh!!!! Blarrrrgh!!!!!!!!
Fuck.
Okay, it's good news, really, but shit am I a catatonic mess of nausea and nerves and I don't fucking know what to do.
Tomorrow is our weekly Farmer's Market. This is really important in our town and it's one key to building greater community. This isn't an idyllic saccharine frolic as the Farmer's Market trope is often presented.
So. Two folks who have joined my Fridge and Food Rescue group have INITIATED, ORGANIZED, AND LEAD!!!! setting up at our Farmer's Market. Two or three other folks will be joining these two leaders.
I didn't do this. I started the main group, sure, but they're going off on their own without me. That's a good thing. Amazing thing actually. I should never be a bottleneck or the main person. This has to be everyone.
But they've asked me to come and see if any of the other farmers and vendors at the market want to enroll in our food rescue program while they handle other things.
Fuck fuck fuck.
Y'all. I'm good at talking to a group of people that want to work together. I'm good at solving programs. I'm damned good at setting up groups, and infrastructure, and programs.
But I am DEATHLY AFRAID of talking to people that could possibly say no. Hahahaha.
I didn't use to be like this, but I experienced a really fucking traumatic event about three years ago that involved me begging and pleading and making and giving arguments that absolutely were logical and reasoned and supported with a massive amount of evidence. I spent tens of thousands of dollars that I didn't (and still dont) have. I went into crazy debt that I might still not get out from.... all to be brushed aside and denied at every front.
I say that... because its made it to where I can't approach anyone now if there will be any push back. I can fight people, right. I can stand up to someone doing bad in the moment. But I can't try to REASON with them.
And that's bleeding into other aspects of my life. I can't go to city council meetings to plead for them not to set up an AI data center in my town, for example.
And, interestingly, it makes it incredibly difficult to "cold call" or approach folks to sign them up for food rescue.
Fuck me....
I'm going to try this tomorrow. And I have my friends and comrades there who WILL help me.
But, ya'll... I'm fucking scared.
Hahaha. Shit.
#foodRescue #mutualAid #solarPunk
Follow up to my Food Rescue at the Farmer's Market with crippling anxiety this last weekend.
I failed.
I did not go.
I woke up and quite literally could not move. Everything came to a head and my body and mind gave out.
Could not will power through it.
Could not muscle it.
So. I managed to eck out a shame filled text to a fellow organizer that I wasn't able to go. They acknowledged and that was that.
But here's a cool thing.
A thing that gives me hope and happiness.
Look at the attached screenshot. Look at the feedback of what happened at the Farmer's Market. Look at the pictures of the group that did show up.
Look at what happened without me (in a very good way!).
We can't all do it all alone. We are not MEANT to do it alone. We have to do it as a group. We have to allow any one person to take a break, even a long one.
You don't have to do it all alone. You can do a very tiny bit as you are able to WITHIN your comfort zone.
I crashed this entire weekend. And you know what? I have things that I can do this week (and look forward to doing without anxiety because this is the part that I love to do) that will help out the group.
They helped me as they were able. I will help them as I am able.
We've all got this together.
#solarPunk #mutualAid #community
Momentous Update on the Food Rescue Program!!!
We got our first food rescue!!!! Like official. In the app! Not an adhoc one. And it wasnt me who set this up! Another organizer got our first grocer. I put the route into the app and opened it up for volunteers.
And a community member picked it up!!!!!
We are rescuing food from a grocer and delivering to a free fridge!
Calling it: November 14th of last year (2024) - to now (June 10th 2025). 7 months from idea conception to a formal route / food rescue between a food seller and a food distributor. (With founding a mutual aid group, to growing it, to partnering with a national food rescue org - yay Food Rescue US! - to meeting with a grocer and connecting them to a free fridge all in between)
Now it's time to scale....
#solarPunk #mutualAid #foodSecurity #postScarcity #foodRescue #foodRescueUS #freeFridge
Results of that food rescue route I mentioned! A lot of produce. Neighbors came and grabbed a lot of the veggies when it came in. I put the rest into the fridge for others to grab later.
This was one vendor on one night.
We throw away so much good food.
I'm going to go find more food.
#solarPunk #mutualAid #foodRescue #foodWaste #freeFridge #postScarcity
On the Post-Scarcity Food front. My local group, which covers Free Fridges, Food Rescue, and Indoor Food Gardening - we just got interviewed my our town's local newspaper.
Which is cool.
We're starting to get noticed and more and more folks are joining the group organically.
The group currently has around 65 members in the discord chat. 80ish members (much overlap) on the email newsgroup. We have around 10 folks that have signed up for the food rescue app. And we get 5 to 15 folks in person and via zoom for the monthly meetings. We have a core very active group of around 6 folks with lots of folks hanging in the wing to help as needed.
And we have intentionally NOT recruited or let folks know about us (beyond a couple local events), as we wanted to get some things in place first.
I wanted to make sure that volunteers weren't met with a ghost town, right. I wanted to get the infrastructure in place first.
Well it's in place.
And we have some initial food rescues. And some more coming down the pipe. And some irons in the fire for new free fridge placements.
And the library and food bank is asking us to put together coursework and programming around growing your own food indoors.
So. For as much as I'm fucking nervous, lol. It's time to really start growing.... fuuuuck.
Ha! Funny thing. I was arguing caution and hoping for another month or two before really branching out and a fellow coordinator pushed back and said, fuck that, let's go now!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!! I'm being scared and I've been called out, HAHAHA!!! Which is good. I needed a swift kick in the ass. (honestly, if I hung back too much, this other person would have just gone ahead and done it. I am NOT the only decision maker here, even if I was the one to get it started)..
Alright. Fine. Let's do it, HAHAHAHA!!!!!
Oooooh.... this is happening. Shiiiit!!!
Failure is scary. But success is downright terrifying.
#solarPunk #mutualAid #foodSecurity #freeFridge #foodRescue
The article for my town's Free Fridge, Food Rescue, and Indoor Food Gardening group just came out!
You can read the article here: https://fredericksburg.com/news/local/article_49e5b911-4f2a-41a1-b735-a0ddc09e3937.html
(Non-paywalled archive: https://archive.is/AjYvg )
Goes into detail on our efforts to build out Free Fridges throughout town, conduct Food Rescue, and to help folks garden their food indoors. Even interviews the local food bank and discusses our cooperative partnerships with them as well!
#solarPunk #foodRescue #indoorGardening #hydroponics #foodSecurity #foodBank #freeFridge #mutualAid
@tinker@infosec.exchange Thanks mate for getting the word out.
Please check my own #FoodBank tags.
@solusspider@polymaths.social - Will do! Cheers!
Tinker ☀
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