The Casey North Community Information & Support Service and the Cranbourne Information and Support Service are struggling to keep up with requests for food and emergency relief.

Financial advice is one of the biggest areas of need, with some families sinking to desperate measures to keep the banks at bay. CNISS manager Susan Magee said the demand for meal vouchers was also increasing. "We have people coming in all the time who have not eaten for two or three days. They just have nothing and nowhere to turn."

CISS manager Leanne Petrides said housing stress was one of the main issues for Casey families.

"We are not just getting calls for help from people on welfare payments," she said. "We are more often seeing people these days who are actually working but still unable to cope with rising living costs."

Ms Petrides said support agencies needed trained volunteers to cope with the demand.

CISS and CNISS will hold a six-week volunteer training course starting on September 4.

Ms Petrides said volunteers would be trained and then "shared" between Casey's many other support services, which were all inundated with requests for help. Both services are funded by the City of Casey and the Federal Government.

Details: Joanne Seadon at CNCISS, 9705 6699, or Leanne Petrides at CISS, 5996 3333.