Christine Welsh, president of Sapphire Community Projects, which runs the two volunteer groups, said "we are suffering in both places with people being sick or in isolation".

The chef at Ricky's Place is sick, so Ms Welsh is relying on two back-up chefs and a reserve of frozen meals to keep the community service running.

Like Monty's Place in Narooma, more and more people are coming for the weekly cooked lunches at Ricky's Place amid rising numbers of people without homes.

"So many people are facing food insecurity," Ms Welsh said. "We have got almost full employment but nowhere to live.".

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Ms Welsh and her husband Peter Buggy started OzHarvest shortly after moving from Sydney in 2013 because they could "see all the waste".

In 2017 they started the Community Pantry, which is like a cut-price grocery store.

Ms Welsh and Mr Buggy purchase most of the food from Foodbank. However, Ms Welsh said the rising cost of living is flowing the whole way through.

Prices of staples like milk, rice and tinned tuna have increased sharply so "we are selling that at the Pantry for less than what it cost us to buy it".

The Pantry supplies food to Ricky's Place and for a mobile service that Ms Welsh and Mr Buggy run in Bemboka.

St John's Anglican Church in Bega ran Ricky's Place for more than 10 years. It was forced to abandon the weekly meal service in March 2020.

"We at the Pantry wanted to revive Ricky's so we have sub-leased it since April 2022," Ms Welsh said.

Back then about 30 people came for lunch each week. Now more than 70 people are coming, as well as others who come to collect takeaway meals.

At this time of growing demand, Ms Welsh's volunteer numbers are dropping as the flu season and latest wave of COVID hit.

Ms Welsh said volunteers do not have to commit to a lifetime of service.

"It is reliability that is important for us, knowing that we have a full complement of staff," she said.

Ricky's Place needs people who can be there for two hours or more on Mondays to meet and greet people, take orders, serve meals, help set up and take down the weekly dining room or help in the kitchen with dishes and cleaning up.

The Community Pantry, which operates Tuesday to Friday, needs people to serve customers, show people around, pack groceries, stock shelves, tidy up and clean. Ms Welsh said people can volunteer once a week or whenever fits their schedule.

Ms Welsh can be contacted on 0438 407 364, or via info@sapphirecomunity.org.au.