Newsletter — Number One (Yes, our first newsletter ever)

Good things are growing (and I’m becoming organised… apparently)

Hi friends,

I wanted to send a simple first newsletter — not because everything is perfect, but because a lot of good things are quietly growing right now. And I’m grateful. And it breaks the ice!

1) FNB Hobart is up on numbers

Food Not Bombs Hobart has been really encouraging lately.

We’ve had more people turning up, new connections forming, and a few familiar faces returning after a long time away. One of the biggest wins for me personally is that Pete — my main volunteer — is back from travels, and it genuinely makes a difference.

Also… something has finally happened that we’ve been working toward for years: collaborations with shelters and social services have finally come to fruition.

We’re now hearing that they’re regularly recommending us, which feels like a quiet “yes” after a long season of sowing. So we’re happy. It feels steady.

2) Woodcraft Adventures is expanding

This week we ran our first Woodcraft Adventures workshop — and it was honestly a special moment.

It was at a psychosocial centre, and we had five participants, each carving their own choice of a Tasmanian animal. The work that came out of it was so original. Not “copying a template” — real creative expression. And they’ve already asked if we can come back regularly.

We’ll see how it unfolds though. We were given $20 for costs — which is… classic lived experience world: low recognition, low reward, high value. But we did it anyway, because it matters.

On the brighter side, we also finally got paid for an order that someone waited six weeks to pay us for — and it was the biggest order we’ve ever had (70 animals!)

That’s a big deal for us. It also comes with a memo to ourselves: we need to tighten up our payment system so we don’t keep carrying that kind of risk.

3) Music Mission: experimenting and learning

Music Mission has been in an interesting season.

We haven’t returned to our regular choirs since the Christmas break — not out of negativity, but because we’ve been experimenting. Watching. Testing. Seeing what happens when we create alternative singing opportunities… and what “opportunistic public appearances” actually require.

A few have happened, and we learned a lot. One big lesson was this:

When you step in without a director or a group already in motion, it takes a whole different level of confidence. It takes you promoting yourself up front. It takes leadership.

And that’s been stretching.

The other important note is: I may return to choir this week. I’ve been asked by leaders to come back, and I’m genuinely considering it.

4) New gatherings + a surprising turn toward organisation

I’ve also started new gatherings, including a new kind of one:

A Volunteer Gathering — a space for giving time to volunteers outside of events. Not just “thanks for helping,” but actually going deeper with people and building real connection.

To support this, I’ve also started something new for me: a digital calendar on the website.

So now people can book in, and we can organise better. One-on-one meetups have already started, and the calendar has made it far easier.

And honestly — I’ve learned something surprising:

Using calendars changes everything. It’s totally different from being a casual person.

It makes so much more possible…but it also means being more accurate.

And apparently it’s shocking to people who know me as “Christiaan the spontaneous one” to see me suddenly acting organised.

Woe to them. 😄

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Thanks for being part of this journey — whether you’re actively involved, quietly supporting, or simply reading along.

With gratitude,

Christiaan