WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JUNE 18 - 24, 2021 | 11
COVER STORY
Organizers of Worcester Community Fridges Maria Ravelli and Echo Louissaint pose in front of the fridge on Portland Street during its March 7 opening. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Worcester Community Fridges works to beat the heat this summer Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
When Saket Lohia, longtime Worcester resident and owner of Fantastic Pizza, saw people stop at the restaurant asking for a free slice of pizza or a free bottle of water, he knew something had to be done. h “You always see that in Main South where people struggle just to get a drink of water when it’s hot outside — I see the lines in front of the food pantries of families with young children.” h What he did was donate the space for the fi rst Worcester Community fridge on Main Street, having seen reports of the community fridge initiative on Mutual Aid Worcester Facebook page, begun by Maria Ravelli. It was installed in January. h Now he says, “whether it is 10 below or 100 degrees, it’s the most used fridge — I’ve seen it fi lled about 20 times and emptied as many times. It’s a bit heartbreaking to see people check the fridge and fi nd it empty. Main South is the poorest area in Worcester so this is the real bottleneck, especially because it’s near bus stops.”
See FRIDGES, Page 12
