There are volunteers assisting Soupees founder Gavin Smith, despite Mr Smith working week in and week out.
Volunteer Rhiannon Morton said she “just started turning up and being annoying.”
“I originally met Gavin through doing the Friday free breakfast at Upwey Primary School,” she said.
“Once I was in high school, I started coming to Soupees to help out.”
Alongside her little sister, who does at least an hour of volunteering each week, Ms Morton helps set up the marquee when she can.
“Gavin has always been really good, what he does for everyone is amazing,” she said.
“I love helping out, and I get a second cup of soup if I’m good.”
Mr Smith doesn’t just provide food to those who stop by, he also gives them the opportunity to have a chat and a personal connection with others in the community.
Mr Smith’s wife Jenny Hill said while some people call it a soup kitchen, it is more than that.
“It’s a community. He has such a big heart and remembers people’s names from years ago, sometimes from when he first started in 2008,” she said.
“I’d much rather he does this than sit in front of a TV.”
Mr Smith and Ms Hill recently celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary, and he has been running Soupees the entire time they’ve been married.
She said when Mr Smith is at Soupees on a Friday, he also collects donations for others in the community in need of assistance.
“People bring things like blankets and sleeping bags down and drop them off here, he puts them in the van and off he goes to the city and the various charities down there,” Ms Hill said.
“Particularly for mothers and babies, some people bring in their baby stuff and old prams.”
