VCU grad's creative way to give away garden's abundance will make you think: 'People are amazing'

RICHMOND, Va. -- What started out as an idea for Taylor Scott to feed her friends an abundance of left-over vegetables that she grows in her garden during the pandemic, a light bulb popped on in Scott’s head. Why not feed more people with a community fridge.

“I’ve seen community fridges in my neighborhood in New Orleans growing up, and I’ve just been like I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in Virginia,” shes aid.

So, with the help of some friends, Taylor a 2019 VCU grad and now at Liberty University grad school studying forensic psychology created “RVA Community Fridges” with a goal of providing free food and promote access to healthy options.

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After a few months of planning and coordinating, by the end of this past January she placed this refrigerator as well as these containers with perishable items and toiletries on the 2000 block of Venable street in Richmond’s Union Hill neighborhood, just outside of Pomona’s.

“We as an organization, restock the fridge every other day. Fruits and vegetables, and water go very fast. Potatoes do extremely well. Anything that’s like healthy and nutritious,” Scott said.

The fridge is also stocked with donated sandwiches, condiments, and soups from local businesses all labeled with the ingredients, as well with made and expiration dates to follow along with health guidelines.

Anyone is allowed whatever they like and as much they like.

“I feel like the fridges are meant for everybody and I really mean take what you need. If you need the whole case of whatever is down there, or if you feel like you want the whole bin. If you really need it, take it,” Scott said.

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After Scott realized how much the community fridge was being used in Union Hill, she decided to open a second fridge on Richmond’s south side off Hull Street in late February to help the residents in that area.

She is also preparing to open two more locations in April: one on the Northside off Dill Ave, the other across from Virginia State University off Bessie Lane.

“We want to spread them out so that people have a lot of access to them, but still put them in areas where there are high need and people will still be able to get to them,” Scott said.

And thanks to anonymous donor Scott has raised enough money to set up one community fridge a month for the rest of the year.

“The community has really banded together behind the fridges and I can’t thank people enough for even offering their support, their time, their effort, their funds to assist us in putting more fridges. People are amazing, and this community is awesome,” Scott said.