What Community Can Do
🎄 What Community Can Do
Because when we show up for each other, everything changes.
In December 2024, I didn’t plan on hosting Christmas for dozens of strangers.
I just didn’t want anyone to feel the way I did — scared, displaced, unsure if we'd have a home to go back to.
Our town had just been evacuated due to bushfires. We were huddled in a caravan park in Stawell, 20 minute's drive from our home in the Grampians, and everything felt uncertain.
The caravan park we were staying in offered free stays to evacuees, turning driveways and powered sites into havens for those with nowhere else to go. There were no forms to fill out, no proof to show — just open gates and open hearts.
So I put up a simple Facebook post, asking if anyone needed somewhere to feel safe and seen on Christmas Day.
What happened next still moves me to tears.
People donated food.
Families who had little gave what they could.
My mum drove down from Melbourne and helped organise everything through her own disability and struggles because she didn't want to just sit by and so nothing
Jake and I, along with our kids, packed gift bags on a ping pong table, wrapped presents, and delivered hope. We did grocery trips, pre ordered roasts, salad and more. Not knowing how many would actually come we were happy if it just helped one person.
We weren’t the only ones helping. We were one thread in a whole web of compassion — a reminder that when the system falters, community steps in.
Damien Tann and others from Stawell Uniting Church offered us their kitchen to prep food and store what we could
A woman name Sonn Seehusan from Stawell drove all over collecting food people had made, presents and she donated some herself also.
We bought what we could, and a GoFundMe helped cover the rest.
And the community — this incredible community — made magic happen.
We fed people who thought they'd be eating alone.
We gave kids something to smile about.
We created warmth in the middle of crisis. We created community and memories.
And we did it together, while we ourselves were evacuees, still unsure of what we’d lost or come back to.
That Christmas became the proof of everything Rolling Recovery believes in:
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That people will rise for one another if given the chance.
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That care doesn't always come from services — sometimes it comes from a kitchen table, a shared story, a stranger saying “you matter.”
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That crisis doesn’t have to break us — it can build something new.
Rolling Recovery was born from that same fire — not just the literal one, but the metaphorical burn of feeling invisible in the system.
We want to harness that same community spirit that saved Christmas to build something bigger. Something lasting.
So no one has to feel unsafe or alone again.
Not in fire.
Not in poverty.
Not in pain.
Not in mental illness.
Not in recovery.
Because the same people who pulled together then?
They’re the ones who will build what comes next.
"Despite having had to evacuate, Narissa McConnell instigated a community Christmas lunch in Stawell. (ABC News: Syan Vallance)" View the full story here
Narissa and one of her daughter's Ngaire making sure the food is safe from wildlife.
We were grateful for the space on the ping pong table and here's some of the stuff we purchased ourselves. We just wanted children to still believe Christmas 🎄 and for the adults to believe in community.
Pictured is my families Ping Pong table wrapping set up at Stawell Park Caravan Park.
"What looked like a disaster Christmas was saved and made our 2-year-old’s day so much better. You all deserve awards and high praise for being so thoughtful, kind and caring. And so generous… The nicest, most thoughtful gifts. So much effort and love.” — Jarryd, Christmas evacuee parent
Pictured: One of the beautiful families who joined us that day, enjoying the food, the gifts, and the relief of being surrounded by kindness.
Tanya Knight (Narissas' mum) brought lots of goodies including a Small Christmas tree 🎄 Pictured is some of the gifts set up around it.
Sonn Seehusan dropping off food that was stored at the church and from people's homes within a few minutes from Cato Park. 🫶
💛 Want to Help?
We’re still collecting cans. Still designing routine cards. Still renovating one van at a time.
But with your help — whether that’s donations, skills, grant support, or just spreading the word — we can do more.
👉 Donate Here
📧 Or reach out with other ideas: therollingrecovery@gmail.com
And if you need a reminder of what’s possible when a community shows up?
Just look at what happened when a few families with nowhere to go made a meal, wrapped some gifts — and brought a town back to life, one smile at a time.
More images and real words, from real people below 👇
So many people donated for both children and adults.
Bon bons, cups and lolly bags donated but some wonderful people and gift bags our family made for any children.
This image is of the fire trucks rolling in as we evacuated.
💬 Real Words from Real People
When crisis hit, we simply started — with a Facebook post, a vision, and a lot of love.
These screenshots are from real locals and evacuees who came together for one shared goal: to make sure no one felt alone at Christmas. The comments you see here weren’t planned or prompted — they came pouring in once people saw the spark.
Because the truth is, most communities want to help.
They just need someone to go first.
To name the need.
To light the match.
Once that happens, the generosity, kindness, and support fall into place in ways that still bring us to tears.
We’ve blurred names for privacy, but the messages speak volumes. This is what it looks like when a community wraps its arms around each other — and it’s the same energy we’re carrying forward into Rolling Recovery.
