Any business that has seen a 53 per cent growth since January would be ecstatic, but when you are in the business of helping those in need, that is not a good thing.

And for the Vernon Salvation Army Food Bank, it means more food needs to come in, so more food can go out.

Lt. Stefan Reid said he is not sure why there has been such a substantial increase this year, but the past few months have been some of the busiest ever.

“We have been very busy this year. I am not sure what is happening in our community,” said Reid. “Since January 2019, 53 per cent of those individuals have never accessed out services before.”

Reid said increase in demand has largely depleted the food bank shelves.

“We need staple items such as pastas, pasta sauces, canned tuna, canned salmon, rice, cereal – all the staple items that go in our hampers is very limited right now,” said Reid.

But help is at hand.

On Saturday, the annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive takes place, just in the nick of time.

Volunteers will be collecting food Saturday morning between 9:30 a.m. and noon.

The food drive is put on by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is the second largest food drive of the year.

The largest is the realtor food drive held in December.

“We are looking for about 20,000 pounds on Saturday,” said Reid. “This time of the year and this year alone we have been extremely busy so we need all the help we can get.”

The food bank also accepts cash and cheque donations.

“We constantly see new people. The need is higher than it has ever been. In the last three weeks alone, we added 60 new individuals and families to the books at the food bank.”