When the room starts singing
Good morning everyone,
Yesterday at Food Not Bombs Hobart, I sang with Angela.
It was completely random.
We both just started singing — and not quietly. We sang at full voice.
A community of 35 people were there. Ruth was there too.
Ruth had come to meet with me about some bigger things: connecting Food Not Bombs Hobart with Volunteering Tasmania, and the possibility of being mentored and supported through their volunteer network.
It was an important conversation. There are questions about how a community that has grown organically over many years connects with the wider volunteering system without losing what makes it itself.
But while we were there, something else happened.
Angela and I sang.
No program. No activity organised in advance. No particular reason.
We just sang.
And I think that says something about what I’m interested in when I talk about community.
Sometimes we spend a lot of time building structures around people — programs, organisations, volunteer pathways, partnerships, systems.
Those things can be valuable. They can make it easier for people to participate and can help something that has grown small and local become more connected.
But underneath all of that is something much simpler.
People being together.
Someone sings.
Someone joins in.
Someone else is already sitting there.
And for a moment, the room becomes something more than the sum of its parts.
Maybe the work isn’t always about creating the moment.
Sometimes it’s about creating a place where the moment can happen.
Community Food Partnerships Hobart
What’s happening with us
We are at a crossroads.
Food Not Bombs Hobart has been noticed.
After years of quietly doing the work, we’re now having conversations with some of the organisations and people who make up Hobart’s wider community infrastructure.
That means we are potentially standing at the precipice of becoming part of the organisational community of Hobart in a much more significant way.
At first view, there are real benefits.
And for us, benefits aren’t really about making Food Not Bombs bigger or more impressive.
Benefits for us should mean benefits for our community — particularly the people we are here for, those who need it most.
We owe them that.
That means looking seriously at opportunities that we might not be able to create ourselves. It means making connections. It means learning. It means being willing to change where change genuinely helps.
But it also means remembering who gets a voice in those decisions.
The people we serve aren’t simply the recipients of whatever we decide to build.
Their experience needs to matter.
And there is another side to this.
Change is coming.
If we don’t know ourselves, know what we want, and — more importantly — know what we want to become, it will be very easy for somebody else to decide that for us.
We could get railroaded.
So I’m taking this seriously.
There will be more meetings this week, and I’ll keep you informed as things develop.
For now, I’m trying to hold two things together:
Be open to what is possible.
Know who we are.
A little something from the Makers
Our FNB Hobart Makers shop has a 50% off special on the Woodland Wombat.
It’s $25 off, with free delivery included.
This is a one-off promotion and we’re not planning to repeat it for a while.
Sale ends Saturday night at 11:59pm.
Terms: 50% discount applies to the Woodland Wombat only. Free delivery within the offer. One-week promotion ending 11:59pm Saturday. While available.
One more way to help
We’re also coming to the end of our free spatula promotion.
If you’d like one, we can provide a free FNB Hobart Makers spatula if you can give us a useful drop-off point — somewhere we can actually get it to people.
If you’ve got a workplace, community group, shop, event or other place in mind, let me know.
Know someone who needs a food pack?
If you know someone who could genuinely use a food pack, hook us up.
A proper introduction is much more useful than simply passing on a name. If you know the person, know where they are, or can help make the connection, get in touch.
And finally — ideas are free
This might be the most important one.
If you know somebody we should meet, an organisation we should connect with, a practical opportunity we’ve missed, or you have a serious lead that could help us improve what we’re doing, please tell me.
You don’t need to have the whole answer.
You might know somebody.
You might know something we don’t.
You might see an opportunity from the outside that we simply can’t see from where we’re standing.
Ideas are free. Good connections are valuable.
As we move into this next stage, I’m interested in both.
Notes from the field
Things are changing.
Yesterday, Angela and I sang.
Ruth came to talk about the future.
A community of 35 people were there.
And somewhere between the singing, the food, the conversations and the meetings, I was reminded that this is still what we’re trying to protect:
a place where people can show up, contribute, belong — and sometimes just sing.
Christiaan McCann
Shared Table
Saturday | 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Good food. Good company. Everyone welcome.
Read more Notes in The Field:
- Community | Small Project | Bread Not Bombs
What is Bread Not Bombs? The Weekend Bread Basket is a community initiative based in Hobart, Tasmania. Each week, surplus bread and baked goods are collected and distributed to people who need them — keeping good food out of the bin and putting it into people’s hands instead. It started… Read more: Community | Small Project | Bread Not Bombs - Final Farewell & Re-subscribe
Subject: Important update: We’re moving! (Please confirm your subscription) Hi everybody, We’re making some changes behind the scenes and moving our newsletter over to a new home! To make sure you keep receiving updates from us without interruption, I’ve manually transferred your email address to our updated subscriber list. What… Read more: Final Farewell & Re-subscribe - Community Food Partnerships Hobart | Newsletter | Notes in the field #34 – week ending 28th Sep 2026
When the room starts singing Good morning everyone, Yesterday at Food Not Bombs Hobart, I sang with Angela. It was completely random. We both just started singing — and not quietly. We sang at full voice. A community of 35 people were there. Ruth was there too. Ruth had come… Read more: Community Food Partnerships Hobart | Newsletter | Notes in the field #34 – week ending 28th Sep 2026 - Diversity & Inclusion | Newsletter | Notes In The Field #33 – Week Ending Monday 20th Sep 2026
In the past six months, Food Not Bombs Hobart has gained significant visibility, attracting new volunteers and partnerships while remaining committed to its core mission of supporting marginalized communities. Though the group has expanded, it continues to emphasize community, learning from diverse experiences, and fostering a sense of belonging. - Acts of Kindness | Mutual Aid | Petes Treats
What began as a simple box of treats delivered into Hobart’s shelter system became something much more. Through over 20 Pete’s Treats boxes, a man transitioning from years of rough sleeping found a way to contribute, supporters found a practical way to care, and a community discovered that sometimes the journey toward wellbeing and housing begins with something as simple as showing up, sharing a conversation, and letting people know they matter.
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