Nationwide, KiwiHarvest rescued more than 3 million kg of food in New Zealand last year.
The growth in rescued food has grown by 52% nationwide in the past two years.
KiwiHarvest Dunedin played a key role, distributing 314,227kg of rescued food in the financial year ending in March.
That is the equivalent of 698,282 meals and a 36% increase on the same period last year.
KiwiHarvest chief executive Angela Calver said it was working hard to try to keep up with demand.
"We are now seeing different people who have a good job, but something happens out of the blue and they have nothing left to put food on the table," she said.
"Police, nurses, teachers, they are all turning up for food. Many people we have not seen before.
"New Zealand produces enough food to feed 40 million people. Yet a recent survey showed 27% of our kids live in a house where food runs out. That is disgusting."
She said the increase in food supply and demand in Dunedin reflected the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of local donors.
"Every kilogram of food rescued helps ease pressure for families across Dunedin, and we’re proud to be making a tangible difference in the local community."
KiwiHarvest partners with various social agencies which dispense the food to the public.
"For families already navigating really tough circumstances, the absence of basic food supplies adds another layer of stress and anxiety. Through our rescued food donations we were able to fill bare cupboards by providing the family with nourishing food, including fresh produce, meat and vegetables."
Nationwide, she said under half of all food suppliers were linked with a food rescue organisation. Staples, such as meat, milk and cheese, were still the most popular items.
She said the support of the Dunedin City Council was great.
Supply from food rescue groups may be increasing, but it was being outpaced by demand.
"There’s more food available for rescue than ever before, but unless we secure more funding and infrastructure, we’ll be forced to turn away food donations.
"Our goal is to rescue 4millionkg nationwide this year, but right now, we simply don’t have the resources to get it all to where it’s needed most."
KiwiHarvest Dunedin has seven volunteers but more help increase the amount of food rescued.
Presbyterian Support Otago was one of the agencies which took food from KiwiHarvest and gave it to people who needed it. They also took food from donors such as churches and support services.
