Built by Being Known

I didn’t build this kitchen through advertising.

I built it through being known.

Over the years, the local homeless shelter and community services started sending people my way — not because of a brochure or a referral form, but because they knew me. They’d seen how people were welcomed here. They’d seen what happened when someone sat down, ate, and was treated like a neighbour.

That personal trust became a pathway.

It kept a steady flow of people coming — people who didn’t just eat and leave, but stayed, talked, shared, and slowly became part of the life of the table.

The numbers matter, but not in a cold way. They matter because they tell a story: that relationship works. That word-of-mouth care still moves through human networks. That when people are treated with dignity, they tell others where dignity can be found.

And in the middle of that flow, I’m not alone. Institutions and organisations stand with me — not just because there’s a program, but because there’s a practice. They watch it happen, they resource it, and they help hold it.

So this kitchen lives in an in-between space —

between friendship and structure,

between table and organisation,

between neighbour and network.

And in that in-between place, people eat, stories move, trust grows, and I keep learning what it really means to welcome.

Read more reflections about

• Systems and Harm: When Giving Becomes Loud
• Small Project: Tip Shop Trolleys
• Small Project: $5 Bag Clothes
• Small Project: Starting a Rock Band (and Ending It Well)
• Small Project: Shoes That Fit