Tonight, the team got stuck into a double-deep-clean at Merton’s Community Fridge and Morden Baptist Church. A nice change from the recent sessions involving pulling weeds, we split into teams to tackle the jobs:

• The Storage Squad: clearing and cleaning the main storage area turned into a game of two halves. Phase 1: Clear out the cramped space, scrub the floor, and disinfect the fridge, freezer, and shelves. Phase 2: Figure out how to fit it all back in!

• The Kitchen Kings: While the storage squad scrubbed, a smaller team worked their magic in the kitchen, leaving the space absolutely pristine and ready for action.

• The Pet Food Pros: Meanwhile, others made a paws-itive impact by repackaging giant sacks of pet food into smaller, manageable bags.

• The Brave Bin Brigade: Outside, a courageous duo tackled what can only be described as the ultimate boss battle: the food waste bin. Enough said about that!

We mucked up (quite literally!) as fitting everything back into storage took us right into extra time, but we got there in the end. Huge shoutout to everyone, who stuck around for the final stretch!

Welcome to our newest team members, Joanna and Karen - great to have you join us and we hope to see you again soon.

A reminder that next week we will be helping the Friends of Raynes Park station, followed by our monthly social, so sign up here and join us if you can.

What a way to end the day! With the of the team headinh over to the Community Fridge to tackle a mountain of crates and recycling. It was a perfectly timed operation: we had one early bird getting us ahead of the game, a solid middle shift of organising and box-scrubbing, and a late-comer to finish things off with a thorough vacuum. Crate teamwork!

A quick collection of surplus food from The Open Table created some storage space and it was a short distance to drop at the Community Fridge which will make good use of it at the next distribution.

Stopping by to help with the Community Fridge cleanup was the perfect post-work activity to end the day, even with a little bit of chaos in the mix. Thankfully, Ben arrived for the final half-hour to give our efforts a massive boost, leaving us completely done, dusted, and tidy before we headed on our way.

Tonight’s group session at Merton’s Community Fridge proved that no two missions are ever quite the same. We were originally tasked with moving and replacing shelving, which involved shifting a large number of items from the storage area - but the task list quickly grew as we gained more sign ups!

In true GoodGym style, we took it all in our stride. While some of us handled a decanting of pet food job, others tackled the opportunity to deep-clean the elusive spaces behind the fridges. Whilst of course the shelves were built, moved and dismantled. Fortunately, Ben had a toolbox on hand to provide that extra GG magic, ensuring the new shelves were securely fixed to the wall.

It was a fantastic productive night - what an amazing team effort. A big welcome to Atif and Ben for joining your first ever Merton group session. We really hope to have you join us again soon.

Responding to a last-minute call for help at Merton's Community Fridge to support the distribution of vegetarian meals, yoghurts, and pastries. It was a rewarding shift spent connecting with the local community and ensuring that plenty of delicious food reached those who needed it most.