The successes, and challenges, experienced by the Sapphire Community Pantry were shared on Wednesday during a visit from state opposition MLC Natasha Maclaren-Jones.
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Ms Maclaren-Jones is the Liberal Shadow Minister for Families and Communities, Disability Inclusion, Homelessness and Youth.
She was visiting the region to learn more about the Sapphire Community Pantry and also the Cobargo Community Access Centre.
While in Bega, pantry manager Mandi Rush and board president Josh Shoobridge gave Ms Maclaren-Jones a tour of the facility, talking about the growing need of its services and of those like it across the shire.
Sapphire Community Pantry offers low-cost and free groceries, including plenty of fresh produce and refrigerated items like dairy products and meats.
It's a not-for-profit enterprise, with funds from grocery sales going back into purchasing more items for the shelves from food rescue organisations like FoodBank in Sydney.
It also assists those in need access numerous other support services in the region.
Ms Rush said they could see 500-plus customers through the doors each week.
And just last week, she assisted 18 customers who could not afford groceries, and would regularly see between 10 and 20 homeless people a week.
"The need has increased so much just in the last two years," she told Ms Maclaren-Jones.
"When I started as manager two years ago we would make about $3000 to $3500 a week. Now it's $4-4500 a week and that's without any price rises on products."
Ms Rush explained how the demand had grown significantly due to cost of living pressures.
"The increase in mortgage interest rates and increasing council rates, that could be around $250 a fortnight - and that was their grocery bill," she said.
"It's not just Centrelink clients anymore either - it's the working poor."
It wasn't all doom and gloom though, with the pantry's volunteers celebrated and its facilitating of social interaction a point of pride.
Ms Maclaren-Jones said she was pleased to have been given the opportunity to see it all first-hand, and offered to be a voice of support should the pantry be seeking additional government grants in future to keep operating.
Everyone was welcome to shop at the pantry, not just those in financial difficulty.
The Sapphire Community Pantry is open 11am until 2pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 11am until 6pm on Thursdays.
It is located at 2 Peden St in Bega.