Edmonton food bank struggles to fill shelves

With the economy in recession and jobs disappearing, the Edmonton Food Bank is having a hard time keeping stock on its shelves.

The food bank is handing out about 2,000 more hampers each month than it was a year and a half ago.

In June and July, the shelves were nearly bare, said executive director Marjorie Bencz.

"The volume of food was being out outstripped by the number of people requesting food," she said.

After two successful food drives at the Tackle Hunger football game and this summer's heritage festival, things improved some, but the pressures continue, Bencz said.

"We're basically week to week here now."

The food bank began to see increased numbers of people in September 2014, she said.

"And certainly that was early signs that there were changes happening in the economy, and those changes have had an impact on the food bank, and the number of people turning to us for almost a year now."

Adding to the demand are new arrivals in the city from across northern Alberta, including people who have lost jobs in Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray.

"The work is not there right now," Bencz said. "And those communities are very expensive for them to live in, and they need to come to a larger centre like Edmonton to obtain work."

Still, many people who rely on the food bank do have jobs, Bencz said.

"We are seeing people who are working full time and just don't get enough income," she said. "We're seeing people who are paying full market rate for their rent … and if you're working for low wages, you just can't make ends meet."