Gratitude + an interview with Taylor Scott of RVA Community Fridges
Inspiring work in Richmond, feeding people one fridge at a time + holiday announcements and fundraisers
Hello hello! I am writing to you all from the mountains of Western North Carolina, just outside of Asheville. My husband and pup and I all drove down so I could participate in the Marshall Handmade Market that happened this past Saturday and Sunday. What a MARKET! What a COMMUNITY! Goodness. These mountains are rich with creative, beautiful, heart-driven folks. I am so grateful to have gotten to take part in such an inspiring and talent-filled market. It’s sometimes exhausting to do these multi day markets, but so worthwhile when I get to meet so many of you in person. Thank you for coming out and for showing support for all the crafts people that make meaningful and intentional goods. It means so much to all of us to have your support.
I was really struck by the connective and supportive community down here, especially given the recent Hurricane Helene devastation. I lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit and looking at the piles of debris along the sides of the road feels very familiar. I’m also struck by the resiliency and perseverance of this community in the same way I felt it in New Orleans. Despite the terrible loss and all of the work left to do, there is a sense of being knit together in a way that maybe wasn’t as integral feeling before the storm. You feel stronger because you are needed, and in that, we all grow stronger together. It makes me feel optimistic about the future and the rebuilding/restructuring and shifting of our local communities.
Speaking of our local communities, my local community at the moment is Richmond, Virginia and I am very proud of the ways that my home comes together to support one another. One very inspiring organization that does this every single day in Richmond is RVA Community Fridges. I got to interview the founder Taylor Scott about the organization’s mission and what it’s like to run a non-profit focused on feeding people in the city. I’m sharing our interview below and hope that it brings you some good reflection as you feast later this week with your own family and friends. We are all so connected. The more we can learn and educate ourselves and take action to help those who need it, the more peace is found for all.
Also just a reminder that 10% of profits from ALL of my calendar sales will go to support RVA fridges! You can order yours here. They make great holiday gifts for your foodie + plant + art loving friends!
Some more announcements after the interview below!
How would you explain the work of RVA community fridges?
The work is mutual aid. Community members helping out community members where they can to meet each other’s needs!
What inspired you to start this project?
I was growing food in my apartment on my hydroponic farm stand, and ended up growing way too many tomatoes that I didn’t want to waste as this was my first harvest. On a phone call with one of my friends, who happened to be living in California at the time, she mentioned to me that I should drop them off at my local community fridge. I had actually grown up with community fridges in New Orleans, so I knew what they were. Once I did some research and realized there was not a fridge in Richmond or any part of Virginia, I said to myself, you know what, maybe I’ll make that my birthday gift to the city. I’ll put a fridge up so my tomatoes can go in there plus all the other produce that I don’t want to go to waste. I can share it instead!
What are some of the challenges you come up against in this work?
It is 100% volunteer run, even our admin team, and then there is myself who does this full time, no pay. Which means if we don’t have people available or signed up to pick up produce, that means we are unable to receive it since we don’t have paid staff and people available around the clock working that can be available if I am not.
What are your favorite aspects of your work?
Meeting new community members has to be my favorite aspect of this work. I am very glad the fridges are able to provide for others as well, so meeting people who utilize or donate to the fridges always brings me the most joy!
What do you dream of for the future of this project?
I actually don’t have a big future dream for the fridges, crazy to say. I never expected to put up more than 1 fridge let alone have 14 and counting fridges plus be in a brick and mortar kitchen. Honestly, my dreams are whatever the community dreams from the fridges. I’m here to listen to our needs and hopefully be able to provide that and resources through what we are doing here. But if I won the lottery I’d probably add a free food restaurant in the city that could provide prepaid, prepared meals that would cycle throughout the day and leftovers would go into the community fridges!
How can people be involved and support?
Anyone is able to drop off or take fresh or pantry goods from the fridges 24/7, without having to sign up or let us know. If you’d like to help pick up local produce from a farm partner or clean a fridge, you’re able to sign up to do both of those either in our instagram bio or on our website. We also have a weekly community cook day where we take local produce from our farm partners and turn them into prepared meals that we then stocked the fridges with usually on Friday or Saturdays. The sign up for that is also on our Instagram bio linktree. If you’d like to make a monetary donation, you’re able to make a one time payment or become a monthly supporter of the fridges and our free food kitchen matchbox via our open collective also on our website or on our social media pages.
Anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
We’re always looking for more hands, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions, and want to get more involved or if you want to hold a fundraiser of your own. If you have any suggestions for new fridge locations, you can submit them on our website, as well as submitting your email to receive our monthly newsletter!
Current Announcements and Musings…
Our dear friends at Sub Rosa Bakery experienced a fire in their bakery building this past Sunday. I am raising funds to help them in this time by holding a print raffle on my instagram. Please read the post here and consider making a donation and winning one of three different Sub Rosa themed prints of mine (as seen here below).
I’ve still got a good line up of in-person holiday markets I will be selling my prints, cards, and calendars at! Please come say hi! I’ll be at Celladora Wines this Shop Small Saturday 11/30, 12-4pm, along with some other wonderful makers, and then Renegade Craft up in Brooklyn the weekend after. I’m really excited to meet you all in person!
I will have THREE NEW LIMITED EDITION PRINTS coming out this holiday weekend, and they will all be printed at 30 editions each. You all seem to be fans of the pot of cooking beans most! They will go live in my shop Friday and will only be available until all 30 have sold, never to be printed again! Check my webshop on Friday if interested in purchasing any of these below.
Pot of beans, Pita bread + Pancakes Watercolor Paintings Thank you SO much for your support this holiday season. To be honest, this has been the most rewarding season in my business so far and I am SO grateful. Especially after a very hard first half of the year with some big shifts in my work projects. I am also grateful for my helpers: fellow artist Sarah Miller who is my print shop manager and handles most if not all of your print orders! My husband Rob for doing so much market helping, calendar fulfilling, schlepping, driving and promoting of my work. I’m also incredibly grateful to my business coach Carly Romeo who has really pushed me in ways I needed someone to :) I HIGHLY recommend working with Carly one on one if you are a creative who might need some extra guidance and support when it comes to marketing and selling your work. It has been crucial for me.
My shop closes for the year on December 10th! Get your orders in ASAP! If you are international, your order may take a little bit longer at this time of year, so apologies for any delays.
I hope that you find the time this week to slow down and share time with loved ones, and also lean into whatever it is in your life you feel grateful for and can whisper Thank You. There is abundance in even the tiniest of corners, if we just take the time to look for it.
"The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." -Nietzsche