Taylor Scott is a 26 year old, African American woman of Cherokee and Seminole descent, born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, who founded the RVA Community Fridges.
She moved to Virginia in 2016 to attend VCU and completed her degree in Criminal Justice: Forensic Crime Scene Investigation and a minor in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Taylor had hopes of joining the FBI when pursuing her degree, but felt moved towards grassroot organizations and mutual aid work upon completion.
Throughout 2019 and into 2020, she began growing her own fruits and vegetables via hydroponics inside her home to learn more about how food can grow, as well as try to understand food chain systems and the small economic differences that can be made through what she ate. With an abundant harvest from her hydroponic system also grew the idea to share the bounty with her community.
On January 28, 2021, Taylor worked with friends to help set up the first community fridge in Virginia, within the food apartheid community of Church Hill, in Richmond. After receiving such positive and loving feedback, she decided to continue efforts in providing fresh local
produce to our communities, especially those that have been systematically redlined and are known food apartheids, while helping deter food waste and insecurity within our state.
Since putting up the first fridge, Taylor and her team have successfully set up 14 community fridges and pantries within Richmond, with more in the works, and have helped many other community fridge groups establish fridges within Virginia and other states! Taylor and the RVA Community Fridges team are partnering up with the local Richmond Food Not Bombs chapter on a three year lease for a brick and mortar building providing free food plus cooking, skills, and educational courses.
Learn more about Taylor’s leadership with RVA Community Fridges by visiting:
Website: http://www.rvacommunityfridges.com
Facebook: RVA Community Fridges
Instagram: @rvacommunityfridges