FoodCare Ministry Leader Judi Case runs the FoodCare initiative out of Shellharbour Community Church, providing grocery items to clients with a pensioner, disability, or care card at a fraction of the retail price.

Her team have opened the store for an extra day each week due to rising demand.

"Prices in the grocery stores are pretty crazy right now," Ms Case said.

Read more: Peak gusts of 100km/h could hit the Illawarra on Sunday morning

"We've found the number of people we are serving has increased - we serve between 75 and 90 families per week now, which is amazing."

Through FoodCare, clients can get all their fruit and vegetables as well as bakery items free of charge as long as they buy a few other non-perishable items, like a box of pasta.

"It's pretty amazing to see the cost of lettuce right now, and we're able to give them one for free," Ms Case said.

As the cost of living surges, Ms Case said people should not be afraid or ashamed to access services like FoodCare.

Read more: UCI 2022 funds go to schools, sports and sightseeing in Illawarra

"It's been difficult for people to come in because there's pride associated with that," she said.

"We want to make people understand that we're all in it together, and to know that they're welcome."

Anglicare's Mobile Food Pantry services have also seen an increase in demand, Head of Communication Aaron Malouf said.

The Food Pantry, which operates out of the back of several vans, pops up around the Illawarra several times a month.

For Anglicare's Food Pantry, it's not just the number of customers that's changing, it's also demographic.

"We are seeing 50 per cent more people at the moment than we were in 2019," Mr Malouf said.

"The bulk of those people are seeing us for the first time, and they're predominately a younger group of people, under the age of 25," he said.

The Anglicare Mobile Pantry stops at Corrimal, Wollongong, Berkeley, Shellharbour City Centre and Oak Flats, and allows people to fill a bag of groceries at a reduced cost.

The volunteers who man the vans are often trained in other services like mental health support, and the vans can be a touch point for people to reach out for help, Mr Malouf said.

"It's a great way for us to make contact with people who want and need help in any direction," he said.

People seeking support with grocery bills can find the Anglicare Mobile Pantry timetable on the Anglicare website.

Shellharbour Community Church's FoodCare store also runs on Thursdays and Fridays at the Church.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.