Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1532159
104 maconmagazine.com | February/March 2025 C U P S A N D W A T E R The Generous Table Spotlighting some of the generous people who are making plates for their neighbors in Macon. STORY AND PHOTOS BY REV. DR. ERIN ROBINSON HALL HEADSHOT BY JESSICA WHITLEY The idea is that people who have extra groceries or le over meals may drop them off in the refrigerator at any time, trusting that someone who is hungry will come along and take what they need. The refrigerators are not monitored; no one is keeping a log of who takes what. Volunteers check in on the refrigerators from time to time, to clean up and make sure everything is working correctly. We know the food is being enjoyed by people, because the fridge becomes emptied quickly. Usually within moments of dropping it off , individuals or families stop by and take what they need. The fridge is o en stocked by groups from faith communities who make sandwiches. Sometimes, people will buy extras of a favorite grocery item when they shop, and drop off the extra yogurts, fruit cups, or cheese sticks into the free fridge. My children seem to love picking out of few of their favorite snacks and adding them to the fridge and pantry. The most beautiful thing to me is when people pack up portions from their meals to share. By placing the food in individual containers, labeled with the date it was cooked, generous souls share their home cooked items. I know people who have made pots of chili or stew and cooked a little extra, so they have enough to share portions with the free fridge. Community happens in the exchange of trust. Neighbors drop off good food, without monitoring who gets to eat it and whether O ne of the most thoughtful acts is to have someone make you a plate. If you have ever been delayed showing up to a family meal, or missed out on some part of a dinner party, you know what it's like. The steaming piles of barbecue, the pans full of casserole, and the macaroni and cheese are set out, and folks scoop out a helping or two of the delicious food. What a disappointment to miss these foods when they are fi rst served. If you're lucky, someone will take a plate and think of you as they select something they know you enjoy. That paper plate covered in aluminum foil is a sign that someone thought about you, prepared for you, and wants you to be fed. That plate always tastes better, in my opinion. Our city also has several places where generous people are making plates for their neighbors. The Macon Community Fridge, located behind Steward Chapel AME Church, and the Centenary Community Fridge, located behind Centenary United Methodist Church, are two places downtown where people can fi nd free food and meals. Much like a refrigerator in your home, the "free fridge" stands ready to hold groceries, snacks, sandwiches, and individual meals (See more on page 94). The free fridges are outside, available at any time, to anyone who might walk up and need food. Next to each free fridge is open shelving for pantry items. Loy's Farmers Market holiday Community Give Back