Banking on GoodGym

If it's Wednesday, it must be GoodGym x Oxford Mutual Aid night.

The Oxford Mutual Aid food bank is a lifeline for many people in Oxford. Oxford is seen as a wealthy city, but there is a lot of inequality and hidden poverty. Last week, Oxford Mutual Aid delivered 111 regular food parcels (21 delivered by GoodGym last Wednesday evening) which reached 254 adults, 128 children and 18 babies, plus 17 emergency parcels to 28 adults and 10 children. They/we supported over 400 people in total during the week.

This week our GoodGym delivery numbers were up again, with 25 parcels of food and baby supplies (and dog treats!) delivered across Oxford this Wednesday evening. Once again, to ensure compliance with current COVID restrictions, we divided our 34 volunteers into pairs to take the supplies around town. This is proving a win-win strategy for us; we get some social interaction in lockdown and get to know someone we might not have had a chance to chat to before, essential supplies get delivered to people, everyone feels better. Most importantly, more deliveries means fewer people on the waiting list for help.

Loitering in a dimly lit car park off the Cowley Road waiting to be assigned a delivery route is where all the cool kids hang out on Wednesday evenings in these straightened times! I truly am grateful to you all for your patience as we get the deliveries out of the door each Wednesday.

To get a sense of just how much impact this task is having in Oxford check out the video of all the parcels you delivered tonight here. You may not realise the scale of it from coming into the hall in your pairs to pick up your parcels.

A big thank you to those who brought donations of nappies, coffee, sugar and other goodies.

Cakey congratulations to all those who reached the 10 Good Deeds milestone tonight and in recent weeks; Holly, Venetia, Katie, Walter, and Amy.

Special mention to the flying visit we had from the current Lord Mayor of Oxford, with a preview of the chains the next Lord Mayor Mark will be wearing come December (we hope he'll bring the bling every week).