Anna Bosher

Storm Christoph may have been raging, but it takes more than some wind and rain to deter our hardy team. 32 GoodGymers wrapped up in waterproofs and turned up at Oxford Mutual Aid at staggered start times to help get food and other essentials to 53 people around Oxford. We packed 38 parcels for regular recipients and 4 Emergency Parcels to tide people over a hungry period. Delivering in pairs (pears?!) proved extremely efficient, or maybe the filthy weather was an incentive to walk fast; either way everything was delivered in record time.

Although many foodbanks stick to tins and dry food, Oxford Mutual Aid have teamed up with SOFEA and Oxford Foodbank and are sent regular deliveries of fresh, unprocessed food. This means that food parcel contents vary each week, we are more likely to be able to meet the recipients dietary requirements/preferences, and hopefully people don't get bored of eating the same foods every week. After the tofu mountain last week, this week's glut was of pears, root vegetables (perfect for winter soups and stews), and tenderstem broccoli. We were also pleased to have lots of bunches of daffodils to add to the essentials - a welcome reminder that spring is on it's way, and something cheery to brighten up this tricky lockdown winter.

Many of the regular food recipients do not have cooking facilities beyond a kettle and microwave (some only have access to a kettle), so the OMA Kitchen Collective reheatable meals are vital. This week we were able to supply several portions of Cottage Pie courtesy of Rogan Chef Services - chef Diarmuid Rogan cooked up cottage pie from meat and vegetables which would otherwise have gone to waste last week. Waste not want not!

This winter lockdown is proving difficult financially and emotionally for so many people. GoodGymers are in no way immune from the difficulties of this time, and continuing to volunteer has provided structure and positivity to our weeks.

Great work again team.

• Welcome Annabelle - so glad you decided to join us today.
  
• Well done on doing your 10th Good Deed Tamasine!
  
• Best of luck with your 6 weeks helping at the hospitals in Gaza Aoife. You're our hero!
  

The OX4 Free Food Crew works with local organisations to provide cooked meals to people in need in the OX4 community. I just hop on my bike, go and pick up some food portions from either FLo's in the Park or Ark T Cafe and deliver them to addresses in OX4.

Saturday afternoon with Oxford Mutual Aid.

We packed emergency food parcels, restocked the shelves with tins, pasta sauce and dried goods, sorted through the fridges to ensure everything was in-date and appropriately stored, and checked and organised the fresh produce. We emptied bins, uncovered a donation cheque (fortunately not in the bin), and unpacked deliveries of baby supplies, cleaning equipment, tins, and milk (always in short supply).

The OX4 Free Food Crew works with local organisations to provide cooked meals to people in need in the OX4 community. I just hop on my bike, go and pick up some food portions from either FLo's in the Park or Ark T Cafe and deliver them to addresses in OX4.

This Wednesday's food parcel packing list was our biggest yet. We packed 43 parcels of food and other essentials (6 more than last week) and delivered 29. Those parcels will support 53 adults and several children and babies. The parcel numbers are rising every week, which is a concerning measure of how many people are struggling in this lockdown.

This week was all about distributing an absolute mountain of tofu, alongside plentiful fruit and vegetables, and lots of fresh noodles. Perfect for January healthy eating - tofu stirfry anyone?! Perhaps a few of the shops over-ordered tofu for Veganuary?

Much as we like a good group natter we're delivering in pairs (sticking in households/bubbles where possible) and staggering arrival times at the foodbank while the coronavirus numbers are rising so steeply. The last thing we want to do is put anyone at risk, so these seem like sensible precautions.

Welcome to Anna - thanks for joining us!

Other causes for celebration:

• Mark did his 50th Good Deed last week
  
• Jocasta did her 10th Good Deed last Wednesday
  
• Samantha AND Laura both did their 10th Good Deed tonight
  
• Morgan's red GoodGym membership Tshirt got it's first outing
  

Well done all of you!

This Wednesday's food parcel packing list was our biggest yet. We packed 43 parcels of food and other essentials (6 more than last week). Those parcels will support 53 adults and several children and babies. The parcel numbers are rising every week, which is a concerning measure of how many people are struggling in this lockdown.

Much gratitude to Rachael for jumping in to help at the last minute - we really needed the extra pair of hands to get all the parcels packed in time today.