By Melissa Blewitt

The humble weekly grocery shop could offer more than food on the table, with social connection, healthy eating and a sense of purpose increasingly recognised as important parts of wellbeing.
As Mental Health Month is marked across Australia this October, the experience of community food social enterprise Box Divvy provides an example of how everyday activities can create opportunities for people to connect.
Box Divvy members order fresh food online and collect their groceries through neighbourhood Hubs, often operated from homes or garages by local community members.
While the model is designed to make fresh food more affordable, Box Divvy co-founder Jayne Travers-Drapes said the social connections that develop around the weekly collection were an unexpected benefit.
“At a Hub, people stop and talk. They get to know the person they’re collecting their food from and the other members,” Ms Travers-Drapes said.
Members may swap recipes, collect groceries for someone who is unwell or simply check in with neighbours.
For Condobolin residents, the broader message is that regular opportunities for face-to-face interaction can be an important part of community wellbeing, particularly in smaller towns where local connections can provide practical and social support.
Research has also examined the relationship between diet and mental health. The SMILES trial, led by researchers at Deakin University’s Food and Mood Centre, found dietary support was associated with greater improvements in depressive symptoms among adults experiencing depression.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has highlighted the health impacts associated with loneliness and social isolation.
Ms Travers-Drapes said Mental Health Month was an opportunity to consider the everyday activities that contribute to wellbeing.
“Maybe it speaks to something quite fundamental in us – being connected to food and nature, contributing to the community around us and feeling that what we do matters,” she stated.