Forbes and Parkes Salvation Army officer Sandra Walmsley says they're asking people to dig deep and support the Salvos as they seek to continue to offer emergency relief and support to our region.

Sandra says the biggest demand they see locally is for assistance with electricity bills, particularly in the coming months as people seek to keep their home warm.

Affordable housing is a very significant issue for the community, Sandra adds, and that has a flow on to people's capacity to meet other expenses.

The Salvos also have rural chaplaincy for farmers and isolated communities, financial counseling through Moneycare and ongoing case management and support through the Doorways program.

And - Sandra adds - they work with other local organisations including Havannah House and St Vincent de Paul in our communities.

"We all work really well together," Sandra said.

The local Salvos would love to expand to look after some of the communities around us including Condobolin, Trundle and Tottenham - and Sandra explains that at least 80 per cent of funds raised through Red Shield Appeal stay within the local community.

In Forbes, donation points are Bunnings and Woolworths on the weekends as well as Bernardi's on the weekend of May 28 and 29.

In Parkes, you can donate at Woolworths and Coles when you see the volunteers.

You can also donate at the local family store from Tuesday to Thursdays, or at Westpac bank.

Of course, you can go online to support the cause: there are links to the local appeal through The Salvation Army Forbes Parkes Facebook page.