The community refrigerator, which is encased by a wooden shelter that also houses a pantry for non-perishable food items, is a local iteration of a nationwide movement to put free food in the hands of those who need it most — no questions asked. And as Rhode Island hits record numbers of food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that it’s needed. According to the Rhode Island Food Bank’s recently released Status Report on Hunger, one in four Rhode Islanders is food insecure, the state’s highest level of food insecurity in 20 years. “The pandemic drastically reversed this positive trend.”As of last July and August, 25 percent of all households in Rhode Island were food insecure. The local activist has heard mostly positive things about the community refrigerator.