The not-for-profit announced on Monday it would extend its collections from four days a week after Heathcote Foodshare lost a truck in a car crash.

Heathcote Foodshare confirmed later that day they would have a replacement on the road by the end of the week.

However, feedback from the community and food providers had prompted Bendigo Foodshare to keep plans for increased collections, which will start this week, chair Cathie Steele said.

"The Bendigo Foodshare board have been looking to move to a seven day a week collection service for quite some time now," she said.

"It seemed very appropriate to bring it forward a little to offer to step in when Heathcote Foodshare's van was damaged in the accident last Friday.

"It's great that Heathcote have found a replacement van so soon. The next step will be to coordinate our food rescue rosters even further."

More than 25,000 people in the region live below or close to the poverty line and one in nine find themselves unable to provide healthy meals to their families each week, according the Bendigo Foodshare statistics.

Often, vulnerable people will go without a meal to make ends meet and demand keeps rising, vice chair Michael Armstrong said.

Heathcote Foodshare will now scale down its collections to three days, the group's Robert Peachey said.

Bendigo Foodshare will also service Axedale and Rochester, reducing the 600-700 people Heathcote's group was helping to 250-350, he said.

"We've come up with an amicable position that benefits both of us. We had a really good meeting today and from that we wish them (Bendigo Foodshare) luck ... they have a really good team there."

"It is a big task that we've done for a few years now."

Mr Armstrong called for more volunteers to help out at the Bendigo warehouse to make sure existing members were not overloaded.

"We're asking people to consider donating a few hours of their time each week to help with tasks such as collecting food from supermarkets and suppliers, working in the warehouse and making deliveries," he said.

For more information about volunteering at the Bendigo Foodshare warehouse email admin@bendigofoodshare.com.au

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