The Freedge
Community Pantry of the Future
Oklahoma is the fifth hungriest state in the nation. Food insecurity results from a variety of causes in central Oklahoma, and with inflation on the rise nationwide, grocery costs have been one of the first impacts felt by families.
In recent years, we have seen the rise of Pine Pantries placed in various OKC communities where people can leave shelf-stable goods such as canned foods and period products. But there is still a need for our neighbors who can’t easily access perishable staples like fresh produce, dairy products, and meat, which are far more difficult to distribute for free. Enter Arik and Tamar Davidyan.
The Davidyans moved to OKC a few years ago from Davis, CA and while living in Davis became aware of a new idea called a “Freedge.” A concerned resident named Ernst Oehninger started a program to place refrigerators around the city stocked with fresh, free food for any community members in need of nutrition. By the time Arik and Tamar left California to work in Oklahoma City, there were three Freedges in Davis.
Upon moving to OKC, the Davidyans saw that the same plagues of food insecurity and food waste were as present here as they were in California. They wanted to help address the issue directly, so they adopted the Freedge model. Ernst, the Californian, stepped up and donated the first refrigerator for the Davidyans to use to bring the movement to Oklahoma City.
When the Davidyans established their OKC Freedge, it sat in their front yard. Now it has moved to the space in front of Flora Bodega at 3020 N Walker. The Freedge is stocked by people in the neighborhood community, as well as through partnerships with some sponsors such as Trader Joe’s, a corporation that donates thousands of dollars worth of product a month.
“One of the goals was to build community,” Arik explains. “With COVID, that aspect has been really hard. We just really hope all the community will take part, and this will bring awareness to food insecurity.”
> The Freedge at Flora Bodega, 3020 N Walker Ave Suite B, Oklahoma City, @okcfreedge, freedge.org/locations
