Hunger relief group Foodbank said there had been a 10 per cent increase in demand across Australia.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2017, released on Monday, found nearly half the people across Australia seeking help to buy food were employed.

However, their budgets were so tight that when hit with an unexpected bill they could not afford meals. 

FoodCare Orange volunteer co-ordinator Anne Hopwood said the organisation had been a partner of FoodBank for the past four years.

Ms Hopwood said they saw about 90-100 people a week needing food.

“We have seen a steady increase and what we recognise, as the report does, a lot of people who are suffering from food insecurity are actually working people,” she said.

“Their budget is so close they have one major bill, like a power bill, and that throws the whole budget out.”

Ms Hopwood said FoodCare Orange had stopped asking people for their details as it recognised food insecurity was now affecting a wide range of people.

She also said while the report covered all Australians there were some unique factors affecting people in regional areas.

“There might be a country pride is not asking for help.

“People are very reluctant to go and seek some kind of help.

“Their first call would be to a family member.”

She said FoodCare Orange was among a dozen agencies in the region helping people.

FoodCare Orange is open from 9.30am-12.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays to provide both food that people could buy and also food that was provided free by retailers and producers that was still consumable but had an expired shop shelf life.

“We would see people leave with maybe one bag of food they have bought and two bags of food of food supplied free.”

FoodCare Orange is based in Glenroi and a free bus service has been set up [call 0467 229 673] to provide transport to people from all around Orange.

Foodbank executive general manager John Robertson said it provided food to 147,000 people in NSW and the ACT every month.

He said 15 per cent of Australians [3.6 million people]  had experienced uncertainty in the past year about getting their next meal.