Katherine Franco has experienced food insecurity in her own life.

She spent the first ten years of her life in the Dominican Republic, where she said members of the community always watched out for each other and ensured no one went hungry.

“And then coming here (to the U.S.), my mom didn’t have much,” Franco said. “(It was) just my mom, her two kids — we were having issues with housing. My mom had to work overnight, all the time. It was just like, we would get what she could give us.”

That experience of going without pushed her toward helping others in need.

“I want to be able to build a space where people who are struggling from food insecurity can have access to these healthy foods because there are so many things that take into effect when you’re not properly being fed,” she said. “Like mental health issues — being overweight comes with a bunch of other issues. So I just want to be part of the movement that brings that resource to people that really need it.”

That desire to help others led Franco to start the Neighborhood Fridge. The fridge sits behind the Laundromart, 5065 Edgewater Drive, and is accessible 24/7.

“The goal was to target underserved communities,” Franco said. “And then I thought of like, ‘Who do I know that owns a business?’ And I thought if my friend Sean (Nelson). I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, a laundromat would be great.’”

Nelson and his family own the laundromat and agreed to host the Neighborhood Fridge.

“We need to try and give back as much as we can and not just think about ourselves,” Nelson said in February when the fridge first opened.

“The goal was to target underserved communities,” Franco said. “And then I thought of like, ‘Who do I know that owns a business?’ And I thought if my friend Sean (Nelson). I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, a laundromat would be great.’”

Nelson and his family own the laundromat and agreed to host the Neighborhood Fridge.

“We need to try and give back as much as we can and not just think about ourselves,” Nelson said in February when the fridge first opened.

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