In early June, my colleague Sam Dean sent me an enthusiastic yet slightly cryptic Slack message: “The fridges are spreading!” He attached a link to an Instagram post of a refrigerator in front of what looked like a machine repair shop, the words “Comida Gratis” flowing across the front in dreamily airbrushed cursive letters. Indeed, if you spent any time driving or walking around Los Angeles this summer you probably noticed the surge of gently used refrigerators popping up on city sidewalks, sometimes decorated with the words “Free Food” in colorful lettering, nearly always stocked with fresh produce, pantry staples — milk, bread, apples — and, sometimes, sanitary items such as soap and tampons.
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