After the community fridge on Government Street was completely redone in June, a new campaign calls on everyone in Baton Rouge to beat the summer’s food scarcity.
Located at 2303 Government St., the community fridge was knocked down and replaced with two new fridges, a pantry, roof and walls. The fridge is located next to and operated by The Red Shoes, a local nonprofit and center for spiritual growth. Local figures and organizations joined forces to make the upgrade happen.
It was completed right in time for Fill the Fridge of July, a campaign led by The Red Shoes that calls on Baton Rouge businesses, organizations and individuals to schedule a day in July and stock the fridge with food. The goal is to have 31 days pledged, said associate director of The Red Shoes Dorcas Brandon. All slots have been scheduled.
“School is out, and many kids in Louisiana suffer from food insecurity,” Brandon said. “Since they’re not in school, where’s that meal coming from? Well, what we can do is make sure that there’s something in that fridge every day in the month of July.”
Building the fridge
Before, the community fridge was facing west, toward the sun, and the metal roof also meant that the appliance and pantry weren’t optimally cold. Brandon knew it needed an upgrade, and she leaned on her immediate network by making phone calls.
That eventually led her to Jhonn Jackson, a content creator in the Baton Rouge area known online as Uncle Jhonn with 2.5 million followers on Instagram and nearly two million on TikTok. His videos focus on DIY construction, landscaping, home improvement projects and oftentimes, helping the community…