The Free Store, Wellington

Exciting news!! We are stoked to be introducing Liv to our team at The Free Store, as our new manager! Liv has been getting involved & learning about how TFS rolls over the past few weeks, and there will be lots of opportunities to meet her soon if you haven't already. Here’s a wee hello from her...

I’m Liv, and I’m stoked to introduce myself as the new General Manager! As a born and bred Wellingtonian, I’ve always had a heart for this city, especially its people. What I love most about The Free Store is how it brings people together by addressing both food waste and food scarcity, nourishing our Wellington whānau while strengthening our community. It’s beautiful to see people come together over a meal or a cuppa, sharing not just food but life itself.

So, come along to The Free Store to meet Liv tomorrow (Tuesday 3rd September) between 5:15-5:45 as we celebrate The Free Store community, farewell Breahn & welcome Liv (or come along and meet her anytime!)

Hey friends! 🫶🏻

For those who have been around and seen or heard, you would know that, sadly, our wonderful General Manager, Breahn, is moving on to new adventures at the start of September.

If you’d like to join in farewelling her, we will be sharing our goodbyes Tuesday 3rd September 5:15pm-5:45pm. This time will include sharing kind words, some farewell gifts, fun, and food! 💌

This will be her last day with us and we know she'd love to see all of your beautiful faces before she goes!!

E hoa mā! 🌟
We’re reaching out for some extra hands to help with collecting kai from our suppliers. During winter, our dedicated summer volunteers sometimes need a break on those rainy days 🌧.
So, we’re on the lookout for trolley-pushers to get us through to summer ☀️!

If you’re available in the afternoons between Monday and Friday, from 2:30-4:30/5pm, and don’t mind a hīkoi/walk through town (rain or shine!!), we’d love your help. You can choose to join regularly or drop in spontaneously—kei a koe! 😊💖
Check out our website if you’re keen to lend a hand or want more details.

https://www.thefreestore.org.nz/volunteer

Shout-out for one of our volunteer roles 🌟 This week, it's TEA & COFFEE!! ☕

Monday-Friday, 5pm-6:30pm: Coffee & Tea Helpers are another way that The Free Store practically extends hospitality to everyone who comes to The Free Store

WOOOOAAAAHHHH! That’s a lot of food! If you’re hungry (or even if you’re not 🤪) come down and grab some kai tonight from 5:45pm!!

E hoa mā! We are looking for some more help with collecting kai from our suppliers 🥰

During winter, some of our volunteers who come more often in summer time need a break on a rainy day now and then 🌧 ...
So we’d love your help to have enough trolley-pushers through to summer ☀️!!

We’re also hoping to get our FOUTH TROLLEY back on the road again, now that it’s all fixed 🛒🎉 So we’ll need an extra 2 volunteers each day!

If you’re free in the afternoons between Monday-Friday, from 2:30-4:30/5pm, for a hīkoi/walk through town (rain or shine!!) we’d love your help. You can make it a regular thing, or a spontaneous thing - kei a koe / up to you! 💛

THE FREE STORE IS HIRING!
The Free Store is an inclusive space built on a foundation of belonging, generosity and transformation. And we are in the search for new Manager. Come work with us! Applications at:
https://jobs.dogoodjobs.co.nz/job/14785/general-manager/

✨ Mānawatia a Matariki e te whānau ✨

Pic from our beautiful celebration last year 💖 Most years we welcome Matariki & Puanga in our TFS community with a hākari/feast, however this year with so much else happening in the weeks leading up to the public holiday (Friday 28th June, when TFS will be closed!), we’ve decided to postpone our feast, and instead join in with all the many festivities around us! 🥳🥰

Here are another couple events our friends and/or neighbours are organising:

have a Matariki celebration on Saturday 29th - see details here: https://www.facebook.com/share/Y3EbWaRJVq6jpFjN/

Te Toi Mahana local flats are having a couple of events too - see the poster on this post!

A big shout out of thanks to all our amazing volunteers. We are so greatful for all you do. You’re legends! 🤩✨

Happy National Volunteers week / Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu!

Shout out to our amazing volunteers 💛

**update - we now have a Thursday van driver, but feel free to get in touch if you’re interested in driving and we may get in touch with you if we need drivers in the future**

😊😊

⚠️ VOLUNTEERS WANTED: VAN DRIVERS 🚐

Ngā rā/Days: Weekly on Thursdays, Fortnightly on Fridays.
Te wā/Timing: 2pm-6pm
Here’s that this role entails!
- you’ll be driving around Pōneke in our e-van, picking up food from around 10 suppliers, alongside a team of 1-3 others in the van with you. Together you’ll pack food into containers/boxes and into the van, before returning to The Free Store & unloading.
- you need to have a current full nz drivers license
- you need to be up for creating and holding safe and welcoming spaces for everyone you’re on team with on any given day, and uphold road laws while driving.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, there is a bit of a training process for our drivers, so get in touch with me and we can go from there. Ngā mihi e hoa mā! 💛

Going to ? Then come eat with us at Te Aro Eats: Uniting Kai Communities! 🎉

This year is bringing to the party to celebrate - cycle through leftover bananas and make your own delicious smoothie with rescued fruit! 🚲🔁

Don’t miss out, join us on Dixon Street at CubaD**a this weekend for Te Aro Eats, and enjoy a delicious buffet meal for all. No need to make a reservation - just turn up!

🕛 Saturday: 12pm - 2pm | 4pm - 6pm
🕑 Sunday: 12pm - 2pm

Admission is by koha, either monetary or with time or resources towards the mahi 🫂
Meals are inclusive with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly options available. 🌱

Come join us for a Community Kai Experience at Cuba D**a! 💛✨

After overwhelmingly positive feedback and a heck of a good time, in 2023, Te Aro Eats: Uniting Kai Communities is back for its second year at CubaD**a!

We are hoping to feed over 600 people over the festival weekend: check out the times below👇

Saturday: 12 pm - 2 pm | 4 pm - 6pm
Sunday: 12 pm - 2 pm
Each session open to all - admission is by koha!

Brought to life by the volunteers and staff at Seeds to Feeds, Everybody Eats, The Free Store, Wellington Timebank, Kaibosh Food Rescue, and with the support of Kaicycle, BGI (Wellington Boys and Girls Institute), Neighbours Aotearoa, Commonsense Organics and Wellington City Council.

It’s LOCAL FOOD WEEK! 🥳🥳

Our friends at .to.feeds have been working hard to kick this week off, and now it’s here - time to celebrate locally grown & rescued & cooked kai together :)

TĒNEI PARAIRE / THIS FRIDAY we’ll be having an “open hour” from 5pm-6pm, to encourage those who haven’t come to The Free Store before to come and see! There will be a smoothie bike 👀 photos of the past wee while up on the wall, and we’ll invite people to come chat with us (if you like talking aobut The Free Store, let us know!).

So invite your mates who have never come before to come share a smoothie with us, and see what TFS is all about 🍞🌟🥰

Thanks for this photo!

⚠️ Kia ora tātou, tomorrow is Te Rā o Waitangi (Waitangi Day), so The Free we will be CLOSED. We encourage you to take time on this day to remember/refresh our understandings & actively engage in listening & kōrero around Te Tiriti o Waitangi 💛

The Free Store is open today and then back on Wednesday from 5:15pm.

📷

The Free Store is back today! Everyone is welcome 💛

5:15pm - Tea, coffee, and snacks
5:45pm - Container opens for kai collection 🥪

✨Meri Kirihimete whānau ✨

We hope you all have a very happy Christmas! 🎄

Thank you to all our volunteers, businesses and charities partners for the amazing mahi this year - we are so proud of our beautiful community!

The Free Store is back on Jan 8th 💛

E hoa mā! A reminder that we are gathering together for a Christmas Feast āpōpō/TOMORROW at lunchtime 🙂

WHERE: Garden room & garden, behind St Peters Church, near TFS
WHEN: Friday 22nd December, 12-2pm

ALL are welcome, and many people in the community have been preparing lots of beautiful kai this week for this meal, so please invite your friends, whānau, neighbours, and anyone you see around! 💛✨

Also, we have a lovely whānau in the community who are going to hand out some wee parcels of kai to take home from TFS container, also between 12-2pm, so come and collect one of these too 🙂

See you all tomorrow 🎄

Ka mua, ka muri... Take a moment to look back at some photos of our Christmas Feast last year, as we move forward to this year’s Hākari, on FRIDAY 22nd DECEMBER (12-2pm)! 🌟

Ā tēnei tau, ka kai tahi tātou hei te poupoutanga o te rā!

Pōwhiritia ōu hoa mā, whānau mā, kiritata mā!
Invite your friends, family & neighbours! 🎄💛✨

Today is Volunteering International Day! We want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all our amazing volunteers 💛✨

We really appreciate you!

If you couldn’t make it yesterday to our annual fundraising event, don’t worry - you still can support The Free Store mahi this year 🙏

Please donate and share with your whānau to help us hit the fundraiser target!

Ngā mihi nui 💛✨

The Free Store Festival Appeal 2023 As part of our annual appeal, help us achieve our Givealittle target of $4000! Donate to food rescue, redistribution, and foster community.

The Free Store Fest starts in a few hours 🤩

📍Southern Cross Garden Bar
🕒 3-9 PM

Free Store Festival 2023 is TOMORROW! 💥

It’s going to be an amazing day packed with music from Marianne Wren, Hannah Davenport, Wellington Sea Shanty Society, Casual Healing and DJ Home Job!

The delicious (and exclusive) Banana Hazy IPA by Garage Project, Pub quiz and raffles with 100% proceeds going to support The Free Store!

See you all at Southern Cross tomorrow whānau 💛

Get your team together and join us for an epic PUB QUIZ at the Free Store Festival 2023 this Sunday! 🤩

The quiz will start at 5:00 pm and the cost is $20 per person. Your team can have up to 8 members.

All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting The Free Store. Join us at the Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant, where you can enjoy a pint of Garage Project’s charity brew and have a great time. Plus, there are some amazing prizes for the winning teams, so don't miss out!!! ✨

We’re thrilled to include Dj Home job in the Free Store Festival 2023 line up 🎶

He’s a creature of many musical identities, involved in projects ranging from hip-hop to country, brostep, bedroom pop, techno and harsh noise. DJing at nightclubs and events since the age of 15, Dj Home job is a seasoned selector with a passion for sonic therapy and vibrational vibe-setting.

+ Hannah Davenport
+ Casual Healing
+ Marianne Wren
+ Wellington Sea Shanty Society

& Banana Hazy IPA by Garage Project🍺

He’ll be closing the night! We can’t wait ✨

This SUNDAY at Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant

🍻 Are you ready for the Free Store Festival 2023? We definitely are! 🍻 One of the most exciting parts of the festival is the release of Garage Project's custom charity beer, MISHMASH. Garage Project is generously brewing this limited edition beer using ingredients rescued by Kaibosh and their creative magic to create an absolutely delicious brew.

This year, they're presenting the 'Mish Mash: Banana Oat Cream Hazy IPA'. With a 5.8% ABV, we're sure it'll be a hit! 🍌🍺

Make sure you don't miss out! Visit Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant NEXT SUNDAY to have a taste. Plus, all proceeds from the sale of this beer will go to The Free Store - how awesome is that? So, what are you waiting for? Come to the festival, have a great time, and support a great cause!

The Free Store, Wellington Redistributing quality surplus food from 60+ inner-city eateries freely to those in need. Free locall

Help us meet our Free Store Festival 2023 target, DONATE now or share with a friend 🫶🏼

The Free Store Festival Appeal 2023 As part of our annual appeal, help us achieve our Givealittle target of $4000! Donate to food rescue, redistribution, and foster community.

We are so pleased to have Wellington’s beloved Casual Healing playing at this year’s Free Store Festival 2023 on Sunday 26th November. If you haven’t yet heard of him, you should have - here’s an idea of what to expect:

Casually Healing U with Surfy-Indy-Raga-Hop, Nikau takes it upon himself to offer a 7th chord creamy, melancholic dreamy musical experience. A tasteful collection of refreshing original music and hand-plucked covers, you can dance, cry, laugh or dance-cry-laugh to the mellow-musical-mindfulness of Casual Healing.

Nikau will be performing at 8.30pm at Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant , and we encourage you to Koha at the door what you would pay to see a Casual Healing gig 💛