Episode 230: Everything is better with community…fridges, with Christa of Material Union

Welcome to Clotheshorse, the podcast that blames a combination of the internet, Star Wars, and late stage capitalism for main character syndrome.

I’m your host, Amanda and this is episode 230.

Main character syndrome is an “internet term” or maybe “social media term”  and it refers to the tendency to view oneself as the protagonist of their own life story (aka main character), often at the expense of others, and can be associated with self-centeredness and a lack of empathy. That lack of empathy often comes from viewing others around oneself as sort of set dressing or NPCs (non player characters–the other characters that aren’t you in a video game).  It’s easy to lack empathy when everyone around you doesn’t feel real. Or when you think you were chosen by fate to save the universe or maybe something less heroic, like make all the money or have the most followers on social media or own the most Funko Pops.  Or whatever.

But here at Clotheshorse, we are avoiding all aspects of main character syndrome by focusing on how we can do good things during difficult times.  And this episode–part of that occasional series–we are going to talk about another seemingly small thing you can do on an individual level that has major impact on your community: community fridges. Also known as “free fridges,” these are public refrigerators that are accessible 24/7, providing free food to anyone in need.  Anyone can add something, anyone can take something.  It’s mutual aid at the most basic level.  And this week we are going to talk to someone who is extremely passionate about free fridges…seriously there was no one else I could possibly have this discussion with because literally no one would be so passionate about this topic: Christa Clark of Austin, Texas. Christa is an active part of the slow fashion scene in Austin. And she’s even launching her own textile recycling company, Material Union. But today we are going to talk about all things community fridge:

• How to get a fridge started in your community. We’re going to cover all of the nuts and bolts: electric bills, permits,the best kind of fridge to use, how it all works.
• The best things to stock in a community fridge (and what to skip)
• The impact–both personal and community-wide–of resources like this
• And what Christa has learned along the way about humans, community, and the importance of compassion and care. Basically–the exact opposite of main character syndrome…except maybe the main character of this story is a refrigerator.

And I have to say, I found myself feeling quite emotional while we were recording this conversation and while I was editing it.  There have been so many times in my life when I was hungry and broke.  As a teenager, I was homeless for an extended period of time.  And yes, I’m intentionally using the term “homeless” versus “unhoused” because while I was able to move from couch to couch (usually really my friends’ bedroom floors), I had no home.  No place where I felt safe, loved, and secure.  And that meant I was also hungry. My lack of a permanent place to live was sort of a well known secret…even teachers knew, but I think everyone tacitly agreed that it would be best to just let me finish school rather than put me in the foster care system.  This meant I couldn’t apply for free lunch or any other kind of food benefits. The trade off for my freedom from a group home or a weird foster family situation was that I was hungry.  My minimum wage job at the mall only went so far. Forget about any niceties or even necessities…I was bumming menstrual care products from the school nurse.   If I could have had access to a community fridge or any of the number of other mutual aid things that exist now, my life would have been easier.

Even as an adult–specifically when I was working retail, making just over minimum wage, and had a toddler of my own–food was always a luxury. For obvious reasons, feeding my kid was a priority…which sometimes meant there was nothing left for me.  And despite that, I made too much money to qualify for SNAP (food assistance) or other benefits. Because here in the US, the social safety net is not as wide and accessible as one might imagine.

I think about that a lot.  Ask people here in the United States what they think of programs like food assistance, cash assistance, Medicaid, disability benefits, etc…and you’ll get a real mix of responses:

• Those who falsely think that they are too generous, that people take advantage of them, that people somehow live a lazy life of luxury on them. If you believe that, you’ve fallen for 50 years of Republican spin (really popularized by Ronald Reagan in his first run for presidency…the “welfare queen.”)
• Others might have no experience with these programs, but feel glad that they are there and find comfort that there is a safety net at all (and probably assume that they are more generous and accessible than they really are)
• And those–like myself–who have experienced the reality firsthand.  The hoops you jump through just to apply.  The very little bit available to you (and the work you have to do to keep that). The reality is that if you are making minimum wage–which we know is not a living wage–and working full time, you probably no longer qualify for any help. 

Early humans lived in communities because it increased everyone’s chance of survival. It provided protection from predators, more consistent access to food via hunting and gathering together, and shared care of children and vulnerable members of the community.

Over time we formed villages and then eventually governments to do the same thing…pool resources so that everyone could be cared for and protected. 

So WTF why in 2025 are so many people are like “pull up your bootstraps and take care of yourself?”

I don’t know what happened. And maybe this is just an American thing? A western thing? I don’t know.  But individualism is the name of the game, aka main character syndrome.  Trust no one.  Isolate yourself. Look out for yourself first.  And so, we forget to take care of one another.

And to be honest (this one’s for Julie if she still listens), this “main character syndrome” plays out in fast fashion. 

• First we have the executives of these companies being kinda like “who cares about the garment workers, the retail workers, really any of the people working within this industry…and who cares about the planet?! The focus here is me and my mission to be super rich and successful at selling clothes.”
• But even on the consumer side, we have a little bit of main character syndrome…not from the people who are oblivious of the human and environmental impact of fast fashion.  Not even from the people who are just trying to stay clothed and feel good about what they’re wearing. No, I’m talking about the people who know the truth about fast fashion, but still buy 50 articles of brand new clothing every year. Who place haul orders from Shein or Temu. Who feel justified in buying the SHEIN or Amazon knockoffs of art and designs from small businesses.  They are shutting off any empathy toward the human impact of fast fashion.
• And really, fast fashion thrives when we’re all just main characters in our own movie…that movie requires wardrobe, and lots of it, right? The main character doesn’t need to worry about the impact of those clothes because they are destined to have them all. Their story–their DESTINY–is more important than anything else. And maybe the impact of fast fashion isn’t real when everyone and everything around you are just props, just NPCs.

I am still alive, here to tell you all about free fridges and fast fashion, because of many humans who were motivated by empathy, by a sense of duty to their community, and an innate desire to do good things for strangers.  My cancer treatment as a kid was not something that my teenage mother could afford. My mom was literally 19 years old when I was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of cancer that lots of children did not survive back then.  I received the best care possible thanks to a combination of Medicaid (thank you American taxpayers) and two organizations: Four Diamonds and Children’s Miracle Network.  In a world of main characters, of individualism at all costs…I wouldn’t be here because there was no way I was going to bootstrap my way out of cancer.

Now, I suppose we can all agree that my own experiences have made community, care, and compassion even more important to me. But I don’t think people need to experience suffering and trauma to care about others.  I think care and compassion, a desire for connection and community…these are innate to humans, to all of us.  And really in a world of “main character syndrome,” we’re actually denying our own humanity. Sort of censoring our hearts. Forcing ourselves into a role that is very unnatural and uncomfortable for us. In fact, I think many of us want to do something to help others, but we just don’t know where to start.

And the thing is there is no “one size fits all” way to make a positive impact on the world.  For some of us, it’s going to protests.  For others it’s calling our representatives.  Teaching others how to sew. Sharing food.  Volunteering our time. Organizing a meal train (or even just contributing a meal to a meal train).  Picking up groceries for our neighbors.  Driving a friend to a doctor’s appointment. Registering people to vote.  Being poll workers on election day. Donating money.  Fundraising.   

All of it matters.  But sometimes we just don’t know where to begin. Or if our contribution is enough. But as I have been saying for a while now, even the smallest actions can be radical, revolutionary, and impactful.  

If you’re working on something in your community that you think others could replicate where they live, get in touch with me.  I want to continue to share these ideas all year long!

Okay, with all of that…let’s jump into this conversation with Christa, because starting your own community fridge or pantry might be the way you’re going to make an impact in your community!!

Thank you Christa for sharing her passion for community fridges with us.  Honestly, I hope you’re all thinking about starting your own…or at least finding one near you that you can support.  We have one “in town” in Lancaster here, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can get more in the rural areas of the county. I might get started with just putting the extra stuff from the garden this year at the end of my driveway. If you have questions about community fridges, etc for Christa, you’ll find a link to her instagram profile in the show notes. Don’t hesitate to reach out! I will also share a link to the ATX Free Fridge Project.

Okay, let’s wrap this all up with what’s making me feel optimistic this week: court cases!!! Yep, I’m feeling super comforted and hopeful because believe it or not (and yeah, it sounds almost unbelievable) but the US government is kinda working right now.  You see, the US government is built out of three branches of power: executive (that’s the president), legislative (that’s Congress) and judicial (that’s the courts). And I just spelled that out because I learned this week that only about half of Americans know about the three branches of government. They think that the president just kinda says what’s up and that’s how it goes.  But actually, the three branches of government were created as a system of “checks and balances,” preventing any one branch from having too much power.  The legislative branch is supposed to make the laws, the executive branch is supposed to enforce the laws, and the judicial branch is supposed to interpret the laws.

And it’s working right now! Because Trump’s horrible Executive Orders (along with a lot of DOGE actions) are being overturned by the courts.  Here are some examples:

• Numerous cases have restored the jobs of civil servants
• Another case stopped the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (which protects us from fraud and abuse by banks and lenders)
• Other cases have foiled the administration’s attempts to freeze federal funding for many different programs (about $3 trillion) including a massive cut to National Institutes of Health research. 
• There are several temporary orders in place right now to stop Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.

Beyond that, MANY cases are on the docket right now, challenging everything from Trump’s attempts to dismantle refugee programs, several environmental policies, rights for trans people, and so much more.  I hate that people have to be afraid and that so much time and resources are being spent to fight these hateful policies…when instead we could be making real progress toward a better world…but that’s where we are right now.  At least the system is holding up as it was designed.

And one last thing: Here in Lancaster County we helped keep the state senate blue in last week’s special election in an extremely red part of the county. The first Democratic state senator for that area in almost 150 years!! Voting works! And this makes me optimistic for the midterms…which are still one year and eight months away (but who’s counting).  Still, this makes me think that people are getting it…that we need to vote, that we need to care about the humans around us (along with those far away), and that when we work together, things can get better. Things can be good! We just need to do the work to make them good. And “work” becomes a lot less “work-feeling” when all of us are doing it together.