Kevin Fucillo
Kevin and I volunteer at the same community fridge, which has led us to become friends. The Chelsea Community Fridge is a publicly accessible fridge and cabinet where people donate perfectly good food that would have been disposed of to be picked up by anyone for free. It’s a wonderful community and service to the rest of the community. America wastes about forty percent of its food—an alarming statistic. Community fridges don’t solve the systemic cultural problem, but they do reduce waste and help nourish hungry people.
He isn’t as famous as other guests, but at the fridge he has taken on a much bigger role than mine. I just pick up food that vendors overstock or is too bruised, etc. Kevin finds new places to pick up from, organizes other volunteers, maintains order, and more.
The fridge community includes some regulars. Not everyone knows me, but nearly everyone knows Kevin.
He appears in my upcoming book too, which led me to bring him on the podcast so future readers could meet him.
769: Kevin Fucillo, part 1: An inside view of our community fridge and its volunteers
Kevin and I talk about volunteering at the Chelsea Community Fridge, how it formed, how it’s evolved, and our roles.
You’ll hear he’s involved with it more. I was curious to learn about parts I don’t know about. It’s outdoors so it operates 24/7, 365 days a year. New York City has no lack of hungry people, nor places with extra food. It’s insane to see how much we waste, except that nearly every American wastes food. We can reduce that waste.
I hope hearing our conversation inspires you to volunteer more, waste food less, and appreciate what food you have. Volunteering for me replaces time in front of screens, so it saves time and money. It connects me with my neighbors, including the hungry and homeless.
I write about Kevin in my upcoming book, so if the book isn’t out yet, I hope it whets your appetite to read it. If it’s later and you’ve read the book, this episode will let you learn more about a fellow volunteer.
Besides volunteering, you can start a community fridge. As you’ll hear the woman who started this one has moved on, and the community continues to grow and thrive, though it has its challenges.