The local lodge of the Freemasons Foundation has donated $5000 to Uniting's BreezeWay Meals Program for the purchase of food.

Uniting Ballarat executive officer Annette Kelly-Egerton said BreezeWay was grateful for the donation as the program received no government funding.

"The program is completely reliant on generous donations such as this to continue to provide shelter and food to those who need it most," she said.

"It's great to have such generous support from our community."

BreezeWay provides an average of 74 hot meals every day of the year to people in the Ballarat community who are marginalised, homeless, living in insecure accommodation or have no cooking facilities.

The program needs to raise more than $140,000 to operate every year and is growing with increased demand.

People of all ages visit Breezeway for a two course meal every day of the year. Around 40 per cent are female and a high number of visitors have mental health issues.

The Freemasons Foundation also donated 15 woollen blankets to be used in Uniting's homelessness and emergency relief programs.

"We thank the Freemasons for their ongoing support of our programs and the work that we do in the local community," Ms Kelly-Egerton said.

The most common forms of homelessness in Ballarat are couch surfing, living with a relative fee free or boarding, according to Uniting. People can be trapped in an unsafe living situation because they have no other option.

The most common reasons for homelessness in Ballarat are family breakdown, housing crisis or eviction, affordability stress and financial issues, Uniting data shows.

There are approximately 200 people on the priority housing waiting list in Ballarat. Of that, 128 are children.

Community members can drop items such as warm clothing, blankets, sleeping bags and tents into the Uniting Ballarat office at 105 Dana Street during office hours.

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