Richmond community fights food insecurity amid government shutdown

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As the government shutdown stretches on, RVA Community Fridges says demand for food is growing. To meet the increased need, some neighbors have found creative ways to tackle food insecurity.

For one Richmond man, it all started with a TikTok about leftover tiramisu. Alex Na posted a video on Oct. 20, offering a half-pan of brownie tiramisu that he couldn’t finish. The clip racked up more than 20,000 views and several messages from people asking how they could get a taste.

“I said, ‘Let’s meet at the local park, 6:45,' expecting maybe two or three people,” Na said. “But like 15 people showed up.”

When word spread about the sweet treat, Na decided to make the spontaneous gathering a weekly event. The meet-ups gradually grew, with more than a hundred people gathering at the last one, to share baked goods and build connections.

Alex Na helps volunteers package soup to stock RVA Community fridges. (Photo: Deniel Dookan, 8News)

"There are a lot of people like myself who moved to Richmond recently," Na said. They don't know a lot of people, they move for school, for work, and they just look for community."

His followers have since dubbed him as the “Free Tiramisu Guy.” But for Na, it's become about more than just dessert. After receiving donations for ingredients, he decided to donate 50% of the funds to RVA Community Fridges. The organization provides free food 24/7 through 14 public fridges around the Richmond area.

The non-profit's founder Taylor Scott said the help couldn't have come at a better time.

“Now that the SNAP, VENA switch is happening and the government shutdown and everything is going on, we’re seeing a lot of people needing to utilize the fridges on a daily basis,” Scott said.

She said the demand for food in the fridges has surged since the start of the shutdown. As a result, the organization has ramped up efforts to keep the community fridges stocked.

Volunteers are now shopping daily instead of weekly, and community cook days have increased from once to twice a week. She said more neighbors have also stepped up to volunteer their time, organize fundraisers and make donations.

Volunteers prepare sandwiches for RVA Community Fridges. (Photo: Deniel Dookan, 8News)

“That is making a huge difference, because that’s just a consistent influx of community support as well as goods to go in the fridge,” Scott said.

Na said he once relied on SNAP benefits himself and said giving back to the community just felt right.

“It’s super cool that we were all able to meet at the intersection of helping the community, [and] being invested in the community,” he said.

Scott says RVA Community Fridges is always in need of fresh food, which can be dropped off at any of their fridge locations. Na’s next free tiramisu meet-up is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.