Becki Zerr:
I'm Becki Zerr and welcome to Raising Kindness, a podcast all about promoting volunteerism within our community. Join me each month as I'm joined by my 12-year-old son, Bennet and his friends demonstrating that together despite my vision loss, we can definitely make a positive difference in others' lives. We may not always know what we're doing precisely, but we're going to learn, meet new people, and have a lot of fun during the process. So, grab a friend and join us on our volunteering adventure that we call Raising Kindness.
Welcome back to another episode of Raising Kindness. Today, I want to talk about a topic that seems to becoming more prevalent, food insecurity. This is absolutely not a new phenomenon, however, due to factors like global considerations, increased cost of living and restricted financial constraints, food insecurity is definitely something that exists in our communities. And I'm absolutely not an expert when it comes to this topic either professionally or personally, but I do know that it is something that we all need to be aware of. I don't want to be coming across as somebody who's privileged because I'm most definitely not. But as an individual or a parent, I can't imagine how defeating it must feel to not have proper access to such basic, yet essential things in life as food. I recognize that we are not always in control of our life situation, and I understand that the example that I'm about to provide is not directly the same.
However, I do believe that there are similarities that can most definitely be made, because literally from one day to the next, my life completely changed when I lost my eyesight. On August 22nd, 2013, and all the days leading up to it, I could see. I could function completely fine. I was employed full-time, I could drive and I could complete most of my desired activities completely independently on my own. But flip the date on the calendar 24 hours ahead and suddenly on August 23rd, 2013, I could no longer see. I no longer could do my job. I most definitely couldn't drive, and I absolutely couldn't complete the tasks that I wanted to complete independently on my own anymore.
Sometimes life happens and it leaves us in an abrupt situation that we're most definitely not prepared for. And so I could very easily understand that somebody who is food-secure one day could suddenly experience an unpredicted life event leaving them suddenly food-insecure the next. Everybody has their story and their bumpy road along their life. I just think that we need to be aware and willing to lend a helping hand on our good days so that somebody's there willing to do the same for us when we experience our bump in the road. I was extremely lucky to have an amazing family that stepped in and helped out, because my life felt like it was completely spiralling out of control.
In one way though, because of my family and their supports, the general foundation of our life really wasn't impacted by this massive change, but I acknowledge and respect that not everybody is as lucky as I have been. So, I'm totally happy to pitch in and help out however I can. So, on today's episode of Raising Kindness, we had an opportunity to spend some time volunteering and making a little donation to the Regina Cathedral Community Fridge. Regina actually has three Community Fridges dispersed at different locations throughout our city, and it is a fantastic resource that's available. The really great thing that I found out about the Community Fridge is that they're open and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no questions asked.
So people can go anytime to get food and supplies that they need, or on the flip side, people can stop by and make a donation at any time that works for them because the fridge and pantry are never closed. Today, I'm excited to introduce Brianna, the original organizer for the Cathedral Community Fridge. Welcome to the show.

Brianna:
Hi. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to be here.

Becki Zerr:
First off, I'm wondering if you can maybe tell us a little bit about yourself.

Brianna:
Yeah, sure. Absolutely. So, my name is Brianna. I am a Red Seal chef of over 10 years or so. I've always been involved in the food security world just because I think it's important to use my powers for good. Besides that, I really enjoy being in touch with nature and being in touch with my community and all these other things. And so for me, starting Community Fridges was something that was really in alignment with the lifestyle that I was already living, building those communities and filling in those needs where they exist and playing to my own strengths so that I can have my needs met as well. So yeah, that's kind of the extent of me. That's a little bit of a brush, I know I'll talk more about that later, so I'll keep this one brief.

Becki Zerr:
Awesome. I'm just wondering if you could tell us a little bit about how the Community Fridge began and a little bit about its history?

Brianna:
Absolutely. Yeah, I would be happy to tell you. So, a few years ago when I was still in the culinary industry, I was working as a Red Seal chef seven days a week, all the crazy hours that you normally see in the trades, and I wasn't really making ends meet, I was still starving, I was still fighting for the roof above my head. My basic human needs weren't being met, and I knew that there was something wrong, but not only did I know there was something wrong, I knew that there was something that I can do also. I didn't necessarily let it depress me, but rather I looked for the answers so that I could learn how to sustain not only myself, but build structures to be able to help other people support themselves as well. So my partner and I started looking to our community to build structures within it so that we can try and learn how to survive together and liberate ourselves together and empower ourselves together.
So, what we started doing was we went walking along the neighbourhood and posting on Facebook groups for the neighbourhood and asking, "Hey, who needs food? Who needs things? Who has food? Who has things? Who has extra cans of something at the end of the month? Who has an extra couple dollars to share at the end of the month? How can we help each other build and grow?" And we found a huge outpouring for support from our local community, which we took with open arms and redistributed as it was needed. So what we did is, as we had a spare bedroom that we kept all of these supplies in, some of them were medical supplies, some of them were food, some of them were baby supplies and we just kind of stocked up on these things.
And then once a month we would do a call-out on a local Facebook group saying, "Okay, who needs what? We have enough for say, five families to distribute, in a good way so that everybody gets a pretty good chunk." And so what we would do is we would have people send us messages and say, "Hey, I've got three kids," or, "We're a seniors couple," or, "I'm a single dad," or something like that, and then we would build hampers in accordance to the needs of those individuals from what we had accumulated from the community. And then we would go and drive and redistribute that to the community as they needed. So, we were kind of acting as that medium, I suppose, that took what people needed and brought it to them because we could.
And so that's kind of how that started. And then I kind of started to do some more research online about other types of food security activism and liberation movements. And I found that the Community Fridge movement was huge. It was sweeping across America at this time, though it is international, I was able to see a lot of really interesting examples in America that were not only food hubs at this time, they were actually starting to build and grow to become community networks where people could help each other. So, the fridges were made by the local community because there were people with the skills to do so. They were managed and looked after the community because they had the skills and the knowledge and the passion to do so, and I figured, "That sounds pretty cool and I think that could work with Regina. We have a really close-knit community, let's make that happen."
So, I ended up coming across the Dewdney Fridge Instagram page, I think when it had two followers or something way, way before it was even a structure itself. And I was like, "Oh my God, I've been looking to do this and I have been kind of doing this in a weird way for a long time, but here's an actual tangible structure that I can build on and put my work towards and also get what I need out of it." So, I helped them start that fridge and kind of organize it and figure out the ins and outs of how to troubleshoot working with human beings, because we're all very complex. We all have very complex needs. We all have different backgrounds that we have to consider so, it was definitely a learning curve as to how to operate within a community in an efficient and respectful way while bringing integrity and autonomy to a community, and then democracy number one.
And then after that kind of went off the ground, I figured, "You know what? I don't belong in this community. This isn't my community. These resources should not be for me because I don't want to be taken from people here that need it. So, why don't we start one where I live so that I can build towards my own community and benefit from that and give to that." And so then I decided to start one in the Cathedral neighbourhood where I live. And so first off, I started canvassing. I went within a five-kilometre radius of the entire neighbourhood just asking everybody their consent, business owners, people that live there, people that were living on the streets there, because houselessness is a real factor everywhere you go.
And just making sure that it was something that people were not only interested in, but gave the consent for. Requiring a community to give permission for a resource also brings a level of accountability to those individuals to sustain that resource. And then once we found out that that was something that the community wanted, we just moved forward with it.

Becki Zerr:
That was so amazing. I can sit here and listen to you talk all day because I just love hearing the enthusiasm and passion in your voice. But my first lead-up question is, who are your primary donors to stock the fridge and the pantry?

Brianna:
I would say the primary donors are the community themselves. I think that it's really, really important when you're doing mutual aid work that you differentiate between mutual aid and charity. So, what makes us different than a charity is that we don't have external resources necessarily coming in and dropping off food and then leaving and crossing their fingers that it's what we need. We actually have people from the neighbourhood, people that live nearby, people that shop nearby, people that use the fridge give when they can. So yeah, it's mostly, I would say from the community, for the community.

Becki Zerr:
That's amazing. And do you have any ballpark number? I know you guys probably don't tick off statistics there, which is fabulous. I love that component, but do you have any ballpark numbers about how many people you actually are serving on a daily or weekly basis?

Brianna:
I would say, I know it might sound like crazy, but I would say anywhere from 50 to 100 people a day. Yeah, it kind of depends on how the weather is and how people are feeling. But yeah, I would say 50 to 100 people a day stop by that fridge and get something.

Becki Zerr:
That's amazing. And I know that just based on our volunteer opportunity today, you're serving all type different types of abilities and demographics. But I'm just curious on your thoughts on somebody who had a varying ability like myself, to come out and provide some volunteer opportunities to them to pitch in and help out. What are your thoughts on the "not mainstream people" pitching in?

Brianna:
Gosh, I think that Community Fridges as a movement, because they are based out of mutual aid principles, the entire principle of Community Fridges and the entire inspiring factor, I suppose behind Community Fridges and mutual aid organizing is not so much the type of person, but rather the fact that we are doing this collectively. It is everybody deserves food. Whether you have a vehicle, whether you have a house, whether you live in the grass behind the fridge, like it's about normalizing the idea that everybody deserves free access to basic human needs regardless of where you come from, who you are, what your abilities are.
I do really, really appreciate when people with diverse needs and diverse capabilities and capacities volunteer because I think that a diversity of human beings involved in this is what's going to help us collectively become liberated together because we're going to be able to learn from each other and we're going to be able to recognize each other on a soul basis, on a heart and soul basis through food and sustaining each other.
I think that the act of giving food is the act of giving life. So, if we can help to give life to people with different abilities and capacities of surviving, I think that that's our greatest strength. Absolutely. Especially when it comes without judgment because at spaces like Community Fridges and throughout any mutual aid organization, this is a safe place for literally everybody. And if it's not, then we're doing something wrong. So, it's also about making a safe place for everybody.

Becki Zerr:
Absolutely. People are just people at the end of the day, that's definitely something that I've learned over the last nine years in my adapted journey that I've been going on with my vision loss. So, I just wanted to get your thoughts on if somebody wanted to get involved, whether it be to make a donation, to volunteer, or to access the fridge themselves, where would you best point them to access its information?

Brianna:
So we have a website. The website is cathedralcommunityfridge.ca. That one has some pretty good resources on it if you just want to have quick, easy-to-find donation buttons or instructions and stuff like that. We also post on our Instagram page, which is the Regina Community Fridge Cathedral. We post on there as much as possible to help people understand that there are diversity, I guess, of ways that people could be helping and donating. It's not just donating money, it's not just donating food, sometimes it's just being there. Sometimes it's just having a presence and building that community as well. So yeah, I would say most of our information can be available on our Instagram on a regular basis.

Becki Zerr:
Perfect. Thanks so much, Brianna, for all of your amazing help, information, support, and volunteerism you've done and that you've allowed us to be part of today. It was an amazing experience and it was such a pleasure getting to meet you as well.

Brianna:
Of course. Thank you so much for having me, anytime. Literally.

Becki Zerr:
So next up, I'm excited to welcome Michelle, an ongoing volunteer with the Community Fridge. Welcome to the show, Michelle.

Michelle:
Thank you. I'm glad to be here.

Becki Zerr:
First off, I'm wondering if you can start off by telling us just a little bit about yourself.

Michelle:
My chance of meeting up with Brie and the Community Fridge was I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and during COVID I lost my job. So a family member actually mentioned to me about the Community Fridge and I took the chance to go down and see what it was about. So, I was using it for a little while and realized how functional it was and how much the community needed it and everything that Brie was doing for the community. So, I wanted to spend my time volunteering as well.

Becki Zerr:
Awesome. So you kind of just answered the next two questions is how long have you been involved with the Community Fridge, but have you been involved in any other similar organization in the past?

Michelle:
Not actually, but I did raise my son to be involved in community organizations. So, we both had a little part to do with organizing things like this as well. I was just mentioning Brie earlier, my son deals through his church and as a community pantry, Brown Bank Lunch, and I was helping through those programs and my son as well. So, it wasn't that I didn't have this in my background because I raised my son to do community work and it's still ongoing with his children.
So, when I met up with Brie in the Community Fridge here, I thought, you know what? I have some time and there's so many people... So many great people come to use that fridge, and I met quite a few different people from the community and how much it was needed in the community at the time and I thought, "Now I have a little spare time because unfortunately I'm not working and I'm dealing with disabilities," so anything that I was capable of doing, I figured I may as well put some time into this. And it brings together a lot of really nice people, actually. A lot of backgrounds and different stories.

Becki Zerr:
Absolutely. So that kind of sparked my next question is you raised your son to be somebody who thinks about volunteering and I'm trying to do the same right now with my son. So, I'm pretty sure I'm going to know your general thoughts on the next question. But what are your thoughts about youth getting involved at a young age to help out and volunteer within their communities?

Michelle:
I actually had an opportunity to be at the fridge at the pantry one day, and a young man, maybe roughly about the age 11 came by and he actually helped us unpack the truck, load the groceries into it, clean up afterwards, tear down boxes, and actually grabbed a few things for his mom while he was there. So, to tell you the truth, it's actually really teaching our next generation coming up to be self-dependent and actually help with the community to make themselves stronger and even more independent.
So, it's really showing that there's also the opportunity where people feel a little shy or ashamed of having to reach out for help, and it being the Community Fridge is like, how would you put that? It doesn't judge. So, anybody can stop by at any point in time during the day to put resources in or take resources out. So, people getting the word out and letting people know that they can take action themselves to be able to help themselves, they don't feel like they're dependent on somebody else. They feel more independent and capable of being able to provide those resources for themselves by getting out and participating in the Community Fridge.

Becki Zerr:
Absolutely. So, if somebody was watching our show and they are now kind of pondering the idea of getting involved with the community fridge within their community, whether it be here in Regina or elsewhere, what would be a piece of advice that you would lend to them?

Michelle:
Don't hesitate. I mean, we all find something in our cupboard at the end of the day that we're saying, "You know what? I missed the opportunity to use this and it's probably going to be sitting in my pantry for a while. I may as well go and put it in the pantry. And while we're there, maybe there might be something that I need." So day to day, we always have something different going on with ourselves. We might come across something that we can donate or we might need something not only for ourselves, but you could stop by and pay it forward, grab something for a neighbour that can't get out and do for themselves.
So, it really helps build community networking, which is great. So the day comes that you're in need of something, you already have this powerful support system around you all the time. We're not just dependent on family or close-knit friends from growing up. We now opened our doors to so many different resources in a community of people that are coming together and networking like a family. So, it really helps when you open up that door.

Becki Zerr:
For sure. Well, thank you so much for all the volunteering you do to help out our community, and thanks for being part of the podcast. It was such a pleasure having you on.

Michelle:
You're welcome. And thanks for the opportunity.

Becki Zerr:
Well, here we go. Time to hear from the kids at today's volunteer experience. Bennet and I were once again joined by his friend Zaren. The kids have been prepping in their own little way for this volunteer experience and I'm sure they're going to tell you all about it. Welcome to the show, Zaren and Bennet.

Bennet:
Thank you.

Zaren:
Thank you.

Becki Zerr:
So first off, I'm wondering if each of you can talk about the special donations each of you were able to bring to the fridge today. Zaren, do you want to go first?

Zaren:
I brought eggs from my farm, they're farm-fresh eggs.

Bennet:
I was going to originally go and catch some fish, but I couldn't because they wouldn't accept that. And so I went and decided with baby food. When Zaren brought his eggs, it was an immediate hit. Everybody liked that. And I heard one person say, "I haven't had eggs in a while," and lots of people took the eggs.

Becki Zerr:
Okay. Bennett, do you maybe want to start off in telling us a little bit about the volunteer experience you had today? But Zaren, totally feel free to jump in and help him out whenever you feel.

Bennet:
Today we went to the Cathedral Community Fridge and we were going to originally helped them unload the truck and put all of the donations into their fridge, but the donation truck was there early. So we socialized with the person who made the Community Fridge out there and heard why she made it, what her background was and all that stuff.

Becki Zerr:
What was it like for you guys volunteering at the fridge today? I mean, have you guys ever considered food not readily being available for everyone?

Bennet:
Yeah, I've thought of it a couple of times, but it hasn't really struck me, struck me. But after seeing today how there were lots of people and they weren't scary at all. They were just normal people who weren't as fortunate as you and me or like us, but they were still people.

Zaren:
Yeah. You would think because of stereotypes they would be mean, rude, but they're still people.

Becki Zerr:
I'm wondering, was there something you guys learned today or that specifically stuck out for you?

Zaren:
I learned that not everyone has food on the table with immediate access to food. So, they have to walk to the Community Fridge and get some food.

Bennet:
I learned that there was a Community Fridge. I didn't really know what it was. And after hearing that there were multiple locations, I would definitely consider going and donating stuff back there again.

Becki Zerr:
Well, I just wanted to say thanks to both of you for joining Lulu and I at the Cathedral Community Fridge today. I really think it was a great experience for everyone. Now, before you jump up and totally ditch me, can you share your Kindness Challenge that you put together for today's episode? Once again, the Kindness Challenge, it's designed by the kids to help get you, our viewers involved. The more that we all work together, the more our communities all benefit. So have a listen, participate, and be sure to take a picture and tag us in on our social media accounts so we can all see the positive impact that we're able to make when we're working together. Okay guys, tell us all about today's Kindness Challenge.

Bennet:
Today for our kindness challenge for you guys is we chose to go to a grocery store and they have usually a bin and it has food and it goes to the food bank. And so our challenge is to go to a store or even go to a Community Fridge or a food bank and drop just some food off and take a picture with you at the place and put it on our social media pages.

Becki Zerr:
Good job guys. Once again, that is such a great idea. I'm really excited to see the impact that your challenge is able to make when everybody gets involved. So, my final thoughts on today's volunteer experience circles around how little contributions by everybody can totally add up to make a big difference. When I was talking about this episode to the kids, they totally wanted to get involved. I mean, Bennett absolutely loves fishing and he was super happy to go out on the lake in hopes of trying to catch some fish and help somebody out. Unfortunately, this wasn't a donation they were ready to receive, but I think it was such a valuable lesson that he was able to learn.
Now, at this volunteer experience with somebody who is visually impaired, I would say about 90% of it was totally doable. It got to be a little bit challenging when it came down to actually putting fresh stuff into the fridge and potentially cleaning the fridge out itself, because for my fridge at home, it's all organized in a particular way. Anytime something goes out of the fridge, it has to go back in the exact same spot, otherwise it becomes a complete nightmare and I end up having to frisk up the entire fridge contents to try to actually find what I'm looking for.
So, for today's volunteer experience, I could easily arrange the visit, gather the food, and coordinate the ride. But I would recommend if somebody is living with vision loss and this is something that they particularly want to do, I would just suggest that they bring a partner with just to help out with getting that last 10% done. And I always think it's more fun to connect with their friend and do the activity together anyways. So, I really don't think this would be a negative experience or something that I wouldn't recommend all together. I just think that as usual, we just have to be a little bit creative because it's totally doable. And that brings us to the end of this episode of Raising Kindness. Be sure to complete the kids' Kindness Challenge and check us out on social media. Thanks for watching and take care.
And, that's a wrap on this episode of Raising Kindness with me, Becki Zerr. Thanks so much to all of my guests and to you for tuning in. Be sure to check us out on social media. You'll find us on Facebook and Instagram at raising.kindness.podcast. And don't forget, you're going to want to like and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube and your favourite podcast platform. See you again soon.