Diana Willis, Amanda Ruschak

Community food programs have traditionally framed their appeals around white, middle-class communities that they are least likely to serve, while simultaneously stereotyping communities who use their services the most. The free food fridge movement (FFFM), a community-driven grassroots food program, is emerging as a new form of mutual aid, harnessing social media to address food sovereignty and reimagine  a future beyond stereotypes of food insecurity. We examine the ways that FFFMs across the United States use Instagram to reach communities they intend to serve. Using content analysis and interviews with FFFM organizers, this project illustrates how the movement is transforming the concept of food insecurity in this country. In shifting the framing of food insecurity, we argue that free food fridge movements are revolutionizing food sovereignty by using food as protest. This project extends theorizing on transformative food justice programs.