A day in the life of Merton's Community Fridge

Guest blog by Miriam Habte Sellasie, National Park City

To mark Stop Food Waste Day on 30th April, I spent the afternoon at Merton’s Community Fridge, operated by charity Sustainable Merton, to find out how they’re tackling food waste, one kilo of food at a time.

MORNING RESCUE MISSIONS

It’s action stations from 11am as a group of four staff and volunteers ready the space for an anticipated average turnout of 85 members. Diving into the pantry space on offer at Morden Baptist Church there are lots of goodies on offer – many of which have been delivered in advance and stored ahead of today. Alongside the usual loads of broccoli, green beans, parsnips, tins of baked beans, pastries and bread rolls you’ve also got more unusual items including a bumper delivery of artisan Christmas biscuits from leading brand the Biscuiiteers, yellow sticker luxe ready meals from the likes of Waitrose – think cod fillet in parsley sauce, linguine with balsamic roast vegetables, chicken and cashew nuts, potato gratin, meal-time staples like ‘sausages’ from leading plant-based protein food brand THIS – if you know, you know – fresh flowers, pet food, toilet paper and a whole lot more.

The food is sourced from a number of places including supermarket surplus collections and donation bins, large-scale food surplus charities like The Felix Project, and local organisations like Mitcham Critical Support, founded at the beginnings of the pandemic in March 2020 to support NHS Critical Care Staff and vulnerable groups, but that now lives on helping address food poverty in the wider community, and the Dons Local Action Group – the charity arm of AFC Wimbledon.

E-cargo bike rider Cat (pictured above) – who shares this three-day-a-week paid role with Matt – cycles around 20 miles per shift visiting branches of Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi (and occasionally wholesalers like Booker) in the Merton area, picking up everything from veg to drinks to bread, cake and more besides. Today’s haul included a whopping 120kg of potatoes. Collections are arranged through apps such as Neighbourly and Foodiverse, and some are by an ongoing prior arrangement with supermarkets. The cargo bike and trailer were funded as part of the FoodConnect pilot by Hubbub, the environmental-action charity and are now a community asset.

SORTING, CHECKING AND STOCKING

Donations are organised on trestle tables around the perimeter. Food items are arranged in a way that’s inviting for the eye, salad greens peeping out of the top of food crates, small piles of bagels, donuts, croissants and hot cross buns reflecting how they may appear in their ‘natural setting’ like a bakery counter or cafe. Talking to volunteers it seems these treats are among the most popular items among Fridge members, closely followed by sliced bread (there were around 40-50 loaves that I could see, including non-sliced artisan items such as sourdough from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range) and even KFC (which comes frozen) – one item you may not have been expecting to feature on the list.

And when it comes to chilled goods including hunks of stilton, tubs of cottage cheese, sachets of hollandaise sauce, Fridge Coordinator Ane (who works for the project three days a week) explains that provided they are in date or have a best before label, they can be distributed on the day or frozen kept for up to three months (being distributed in that time) – they have an additional deep freezer in the Morden Council’s Civic Centre.

It’s 1.05pm and the number of volunteers has more than tripled to around 14 (there are more than 65 Fridge volunteers in total) and all are busy doing something, from putting out rows of chairs for members to setting up the check-in station (each member has a membership card and number, and those new to the Fridge new can sign up for one on the day).

Doing a straw poll of volunteers on why they do what they do, responses include “to give back”, “it’s a great way to meet all sorts of people” (many members offer up a wave if they bump into volunteers locally). Volunteer Alex sums it well when she says: “We give food but they give us something back with their smiles.”

DOORS OPEN: THE COMMUNITY FRIDGE COMES TO LIFE

Members are assigned a random number as they enter (from 1 – 85), and that’s the order in which they will be seen. The pile of queue cards is mixed up (the first member may get number 40 for example), and there’s also a daily raffle with chocolates or cake as a prize (numbers are chosen at random before doors open). They then wait for their numbers to be called up and navigate their way from the start of a circuit (today flowers) to the end point (today bananas).

As I have my own membership card number I get the opportunity to get a small haul which includes wholemeal farmhouse bread, tomatoes, new potatoes, flavour-packed gochujang rice and dairy-free salted caramel cream.

At 2pm sharp a steady stream of members come through the doors, including adults and children, many of whom are brandishing shopping trolleys. All are welcome and there is no means testing involved. Within a few minutes the hall is filled and the ‘shopping’ (at no cost) begins. There are volunteers at each station to ensure food is distributed evenly.

It’s a well-oiled machine and people are seen at a steady pace. We’ve hit the halfway point in terms of numbers at exactly 2:30pm.

A SPACE FOR CONNECTION, NOT JUST COLLECTION

I speak to Clive, 66, who has been a member since June 2024, about his experience of the Community Fridge. He says:

"The first priority and original reason people come is for food security. But very quickly, it becomes much more than that. Everyone tends to arrive half an hour early – and through that time, relationships form – because everyone here has been through some kind of crisis. You share how you got through your struggles, and often find others on the same path – like dealing with PIP claims. Some are battling cancer, some have neighbour disputes – but whatever it is, everyone listens and shares their experiences.

It ends up being just as important for mental health as it is for food. People start remembering each other’s doctors’ appointments – everyone is checking in on each other.

It’s a place where mutual respect is offered and built over time. People of all races and nationalities have blended together, because there’s a lot more going on than just food. Sure, there are arguments – but oddly enough, even debates about things like Trump bring people together.

Really, this kind of community should be subsidised by the NHS. We’re taking advice and strength from each other every day."

CLOSING TIME, CLOSING THOUGHTS

As tables are wiped down and remaining food is stored away for another day, there’s a lot to reflect on.

Community Fridge Manager Siobhan Hurley, says:

"I feel so fortunate to be leading our Fridge community. We have such dedicated volunteers from different walks of life and wonderful members who all look out for each other. Community Fridges not only provide food, but address the real environmental issue of food waste and can have significant environmental impact – in 2024 we stopped 64,376 kg of food from going to waste – that’s over 155,000 meals and 207,000 kg of C02 saved! And perhaps most importantly, they provide a place to gather, share and connect at a time when community spaces seem to otherwise be shrinking. Every borough should have one! Thanks for coming to see us!"

Merton’s Community Fridge is open Mondays 2pm – 3pm and Wednesdays 4.30pm – 5.30pm. If you would like to support the fridge with donation, go to sustainablemerton.org/donate.

Interested in volunteering in your local area? Check out National Park City's interactive volunteer opportunities map.