STEAMING pumpkin soup and beef casserole were on the menu at the Billabong Clubhouse's official soup kitchen opening.
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But Dylan O'Brien's favourite food is anything that fills the belly.
The Tamworth man suffers from mental illness, which he deals with by fishing, getting out and about, and conversations.
Connection is what has kept him visiting the Billabong Clubhouse for nine months.
"Every now and then I get alone, or if I'm down and out or I need someone to talk to, or I need a cold drink or a feed or something to say, it's helpful," he said.
"There's a fair few people that come here that are a bit lost, have nowhere to go, have a hard life, can't find a job, their illness stops them from getting a job."
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Sharing a meal bonds people together, and Billabong Clubhouse set up its soup kitchen to do just that.
For the last six months staff at the clubhouse have tried to drive community awareness.
They realised cost of living pressures were getting tougher, and affecting mental health.
What sets their soup kitchen apart from others in the city is the mental health support team, mental health support worker Luke Macdonald said.
"The idea is to start a conversation with them, and to really get to know everyone who walks through the door," he said.
"We can assess people's needs and assist them in getting the care that they need."
At the soup kitchen's opening on Wednesday, June 7, Mr Macdonald met a woman who told him about her struggle with homelessness.
He now plans to work to support her moving forward.
"In our eyes, we're kind of a little known organisation in town," Luke Macdonald said.
"We'd like to think that we can make a difference to everyone with their mental health in Tamworth."
The clubhouse will serve meals at the soup kitchen every Wednesday until August 30, from 4pm to 6pm.
"There's plenty of food," Mr Macdonald said.
"We really hope that the community gets behind us, because we're trying to get behind it."
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