Whanganui support organisation seeks to engage with others

Team coach Egan Bidois (right) hands a sausage to Maria Taiaroa. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui mental health and addiction support service Pathways will leap at any excuse to hold an event.

"We haven't had a Neighbours Day before but we do do quite a lot of events over the year. We do Mental Health Awareness Day, Pink Shirt Day and Smokefree Day," service and relationship manager Chrystal Hamlin said.

Pathways works with adults and youth and it grabbed Neighbours Day to hold a sausage sizzle out the back of its base in Park Pl - giving away sausages, chippies, drinks and cake.

The actual Neighbours Days Aotearoa are March 24 and 25. But Pathways held its event on Friday and handed out flyers to invite the staff of neighbouring organisations and people from its services. Anyone could come and get the free food.

"We want to encourage people to come up and ask us what we're about, and we just want to get to know people."

Pathways has about 50 staff, including casuals. They include registered nurses, a social worker and an occupational therapist and are funded by Whanganui District Health Board.

It has one residential house and two others for people on daytime respite visits.

"We attempt to be good neighbours to all the people that we are neighbours with," Ms Hamlin said.