“When systems crash and burn, the free economy sparks to life—fast moving, smart, and built on the simple fact that we’re all we’ve got. If we don’t take care of each other, who will?”
​​
I CREATED A FREE FOOD PANTRY ON MY STREET
You know that moment when you get a bright idea and then actually go through with it? This is one of those. Right before the 2020 election—because why not add one more chaotic variable to the mix—I decided to launch The Little Free Food Pantry Project. A food rescue, food recovery, and food-sharing experiment that somehow became a neighborhood lifeline. The concept was simple: a public kiosk where folks could donate or take shelf-stable food and hygiene products, no strings attached. My husband (a furniture designer and brilliant architect) built the pantry using one of his cool cabinet designs. We installed it, stocked it, and watched the magic happen. Within days, people were dropping off bags of groceries, grabbing what they needed, and proving that a Free Economy doesn’t just exist in utopian TED Talks—it can actually work IRL. I funneled a chunk of my income into keeping the pantry stocked and, before long, local businesses and organizations jumped in. ACME Bakery? Absolute MVPs—they donated tons of bread for two years. The Berkeley Food Pantry? Total legends. Even Berkeleyside wrote an article about us, making us the feel-good story of the week. That visibility led to a partnership with the Berkeley Free Clinic, an institution that’s been providing free healthcare since 1969 to anyone who needs it. We had a weekly ACME bread day, which felt like running an underground free bakery in Berkeley. All the bread was gone within a few hours. 50 people showed up, grabbed their free loaves, and walked away like they’d just won the lottery. I designed all the signage, made print materials, and kept the pantry stocked and cleaned daily. Was it work? Yeah. It was a lot of work. But it was also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. The pantry ran strong for three years, during which I met more neighbors than I had in the previous decade. If you want to see how it all looked, check out the site I made—videos, graphics, the whole shebang. Because food is about more than just eating—it’s about community and connection.