Elijah Augustus, one of the soup kitchen’s visitors, said it was a “lifeline” for him.
“It’s something that empowers you, gives you strength,” he said.
Another visitor, Balasubramanian Sathiabaskaran, said he had high blood pressure and chose to save half of his meal and tuck it away for dinner, so he had something to eat later.
Mr Smith said he launched the charity after witnessing the “trauma of growing up” among his peers, who would steal food and clothes.
“I was quite lucky to have my mum and my dad at home, where a lot of my friends didn’t even have mum at home,” he said.
“If they didn’t go out and go into Woolworths and steal school uniform, they’re going to school in September with last year’s uniform.”