Fort McMurray food bank tightening belt as demand exceeds supply

The food bank in Fort McMurray is struggling to meet growing demand as the oilsands-based economy continues to flounder.

"We've seen job lay-offs and certainly shifting and transitioning in the community ... draws heavily on our non-profit society, but first and foremost it's got tobe our food bank," said Mayor Melissa Blake.

"It's hugely concerning that we've had the people in our community affected as they have been by the sustained low oil pricing."

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The food bank is seeing70 per cent more visitorsthis year over last.

In 2014, the food bank handed out 2,300 hampers, but by the end of this year, staff project thenumber of hampers for 2015to reach4,000.

That means that many people who used to donate money or goods to the bank are now clients which increases demand while shrinking donations.

"It just makes us worry that we're going to have to work that much harder to raise the funds necessary because as need goes up, our expense goes up whereas the donor base is going down," said executive directorAriannaJohnson.

In response the foodbank is shrinking the size of hampers in order to meet demand,shesaid.

"We certainly are having to do a lot of things to stretch our food stocks further and make sure that we have enough food to give some to everybody," Johnson said.

She hopes the Christmas fundraising season will help.

"Coming into the fall and the Christmas season of course, our food stocks increase drastically because that's when the majority of our food drives are."

Johnson said she has confidence that people in Fort McMurray will survive the crisis.

"We know how isolated we are and therefore we know we have to take care of each other," she said. "We are a village that makes sure nobody goes without."