The price of everyday items such as food products and fuel have started to impact the Port Macquarie-Hastings region.

Manager of the Hastings Neighbourhood Services Leesa-Rae Harrison said they have seen an increased number of people presenting to the centre for support.

The Neighbourhood Centre runs four food connect programs each week across the Hastings to help provide food security to the more vulnerable members of the community.

"There are more people presenting to our service because of the homeless crisis. We have increased our services, but I don't know how we can keep going like this when the need increases," Ms Harrison said.

The majority of the food for the Neighbourhood Centre's food connect program is donated, however they have had to purchase food to keep up with the demand.

"Our supermarkets are really great with donating food for the program, but during lockdown last year OzHarvest Australia received a grant from the government to go towards services like ours so we could purchase more food," Ms Harrison said.

"Because of the demand in our area, that funding is still available to us and we have recently been purchasing food for the program."

The Neighbourhood Centre bought some fruit and vegetables from Ken Little's Fruit and Veg last week for the food connect program.

"We purchased some broccoli and cauliflower and people were so excited because it was something they haven't been able to have in a while and with the rising costs of vegetables at the moment, it's becoming impossible for people to afford it.

"It's around nine dollars at the moment to buy one piece of broccoli. These are essential food items and it's becoming too expensive. People can't afford it.

"If it wasn't for the grant funding we wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand."

Meanwhile global crude prices jumped to nearly $US130 a barrel after US President Joe Biden banned Russian oil and gas imports. That hike has pushed petrol prices in Australia to more than $2 a litre.

Manager of Port Macquarie Taxis Carl Eade said the fuel price hike is hitting the business hard.

"We are running at a loss because we aren't able to increase fare prices to help cover the increased cost," he said.

"It all has to be absorbed by the company."

Fares for a taxi caught from a taxi rank or hailed from the street are regulated by the government.

"I know that other ride sharing services are able to increase they're price, but it's a long process if the government was going to do that for taxis," Mr Eade said.

"I had one of my drivers call me the other day and apologise because he had just filled one of the cars and it cost $113 when usually it would cost around $60."

Port Macquarie Taxis has a fleet of 26 vehicles and usually employs around 80 drivers, however the pandemic has lowered that number to 60.

"We are on the lookout for more drivers, Covid did impact our staff numbers," Mr Eade said.

"The fuel price is also going to knock us around for a bit. They're quick to put up the prices but slower to lower them."

Australia recently joined 30 countries in releasing a combined 60 million oil barrels from reserves to stabilise prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a spike in prices.

Thirty million barrels of oil will come from the US strategic reserve.

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