More people in Saskatchewan are turning to the food bank amidst a sluggish economy.

Steve Compton, executive director of Food Banks of Saskatchewan, says three quarters of food banks in the province saw an increase in demand in their last count.

"It's challenging for sure," said Compton. "One of these things that happens when the economy is perhaps a little cautious or people are watching the pennies or what they're able to donate and those kind of things, tends to be the time when our usage is the greatest. So those two things aren't necessarily complimentary."

Regina locations have seen about 9,500 requests on average per month this year. Last year at this time, there were 8,000 requests coming in on average.

In all, the greater demand is causing a resource strain at some spots.

"These increases in usage we're seeing at locations across the province are unusual, and they're placing unusual demands on the supply, the volunteer capacity and the ability to give out the same amount of food — the same quality of food," he said.

Compton says smaller centres like Melfort, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw are feeling the pinch more than usual.

He said those communities tend to rely more on public donations, as they have fewer retail donors to draw from.

"They're reaching out to the public for support and to get the shelves refilled," he said.

Compton said the organization is depending on people to help out some of those locations that are hurting.

While Christmas donations help until early spring, they too are starting to dry up.

"We've tried to keep that message alive that this is 12 months work, and work with our partners and inform the public that our work continues 12 months of the year," he said.