Pathfinders

03/06/2026

02/06/2026

Pumpkin Run Day 3! 🎃

The team will be at Newtown Mission today, helping prepare and serve their weekly community lunch and share pumpkins with the local community. 🧡

We're excited to welcome leaders and Indigenous young people participating in the 2026 Pumpkin Run tomorrow at Newtown Mission.

The Pumpkin Run, run by Pathfinders, is a long-standing initiative that gives young people the opportunity to grow, harvest, and deliver pumpkins across NSW while building leadership, teamwork, and community service skills.

The group will be helping serve our weekly community lunch and sharing pumpkins with local community members. We're grateful to have them with us and to be part of this inspiring journey of connection, learning, and giving back.

02/06/2026

Day 2 of the Pumpkin Run finished with the team visiting OzHarvest Newcastle, providing them with a load of fresh pumpkins to help support those who need it most this winter.

Next stop, Newtown Mission in Sydney!

02/06/2026

Pumpkin Run Day 2! 🎃

The pumpkin run team are at Soul Hub Newcastle today!

The team have been busy this morning unloading donations, prepping pumpkins, and helping in the kitchen, serving meals to many of Soul Hub's regular guests.

Thank you to the Soul Hub team for welcoming our young people and giving them the opportunity to be part of such a meaningful and inspiring day!

01/06/2026

Last week, Leticia and Chris at Mission Australia Coffs Harbour received a wonderful delivery of four bags of fresh, locally grown pumpkins and zucchinis.

This nutritious produce is already being shared with vulnerable clients, bringing fresh meals and smiles to those who need it most! 🧡

01/06/2026

Last week, Pathfinders delivered fresh pumpkins to Inverell’s Food For The Soul as part of our Annual Pumpkin Run donations 🧡

Zoe from Food for the Soul warmly received the donation and shared her appreciation. The pumpkins will be put to great use at their weekly community dinner, where doors are opened to anyone in need of a meal, a chat, or simply some connection.

01/06/2026

Don’t forget to pop in and grab your pumpkin on Monday, along with a packet of French Onion Soup and our very own Emma’s delicious recipe. 😋Available now. With thanks to Pathfinders Inverell. Pumpkins. Just in time for soup.

01/06/2026

2026 Pumpkin Run Begins! 🎃

Pathfinders’ Annual Pumpkin Run kicked off this morning with an official send-off from Tilbuster Station.

This year’s highly anticipated Pumpkin Run departed Armidale with a convoy of more than 40 young people and staff beginning the journey to Newcastle and Sydney. Over 10 tonnes of pumpkins were loaded into utes and trailers, with an Armidale Police es**rt leading the team out of town.

The pumpkins will be used by the team to prepare and serve pumpkin soup to those experiencing hardship and homelessness.

Multiple special guests joined our team at Tilbuster Station to show their support and wish everyone involved well on their journey. Special guests included the Mayor of Armidale, Sam Coupland, Deputy Mayor of Armidale, Todd Redwood, Jim Maher from Armidale Men’s Group, Director of Purkiss Rural, Jimmy Chen, and Bruce and Allira from Department of Communities and Justice.

Tilbuster Manager, Toni Simmons, addressed the group, expressing his gratitude and thanks for the support they receive from the community and spoke about how special and unique this program is:
“These are one of the programs where I’ve been able to witness something quite special, where the environment, staff, and support from our senior managers is quite involved- and the results speak for themselves."

Pathfinders CEO, Alan Brennan, acknowledged the dedication and hard work from the team, speaking about how the weather had thrown a few challenges their way but the team persevered and adjusted, showing just how resilient our young people are:

“This is a lesson for our young people, they need to be resilient. Life is not easy, you are going to get a lot of hard knocks. And that’s what Tilbuster is all about. Patience, perseverance. We’ve got a tremendous team at Pathfinders who help young people and show them the way to grow. The majority of young people who come to Tilbuster do take that message with them into their lives.”

The first stop for the team will be Soul Hub in Newcastle, where they will be hands-on in cooking, serving and preparing fresh meals for community members in need.