SACRAMENTO, California — With Thanksgiving just days away, it'll be time for many to spend with family around a table filled with food. For others, it'll be a day not knowing if there will be food available.
It's why one organization has teamed up with multiple homeowners across the Sacramento-metro to make sure everyone has food for the holiday weekend.
"I am here to fill one of the community fridges to help folks who are experiencing food insecurity in the area," said Brie, founder of the Awkward Gardener's Community Table.
Brie has spent the last five years have been spent filling outdoor fridges known as "freedges," to help those in need. During the holidays, she's working hard to make her donation rounds.
"I'm trying to really focus on helping as many folks as possible," Brie said.
All of the food and supplies comes from partnerships Brie has made across the community.
"There are a few grocery stores that I work with and get their leftovers as well. For example, Costco, Trader Joe's, Raley's," Brie said. "I'm working with other groups to be able to obtain some of these leftovers and share with other mutual aid groups."
On top of food, Brie will also leave Narcan to make sure people stay safe. Once the fridge and pantry are full, she will post on her social media pages that it's ready to be picked up, and she also encourages people to leave any donations.
"There will probably be one shelf worth of food by tomorrow morning, left, like it goes fast," said Anette, an Oak Park homeowner providing a fridge for the community.
Anette has had a fridge in front of her home since September.
"It's doesn't take long to realize that there's a huge need here and throughout the country. And so there's not that many, necessarily easy, informal ways to help with that... and I figured that this would be something that's kind of passive," she said.
While it isn't comfortable for her to see just how needed this fridge is, Anette said she's grateful to be able to provide a service for those who need it most.
"It's hard to see that much need, like come past your house all the time, and realize that what you're doing is useful," she said.
Seeing how useful it is for so many people, especially during the holiday season, is the reason Brie will continue to do this for as long as she can.
"Anything I can do to help more folks make that special, I want to do that," Brie said.
Brie encourages people to follow her on her social media pages to see when donations are made and when fridges are fully stocked. She has also provided a list of participating "freedge" locations.
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