Surge in demand increases sense of urgency for Veterans Association Food Bank in Calgary [Video]

Volunteers at the Veterans Association Food Bank work constantly in the warehouse to empty food donation bins and fill holiday food hampers for hundreds of families. The problem is there’s not enough food being donated and the hampers will be delivered on December 21st.

Veterans Association Food Bank executive director Marie Blackburn said  there is more need this time of year from veterans who are struggling to make ends meet and as a result, she said they’ll likely need more than 325 hampers because there are always some last minute additions to the list.

“We send out about 60 to 80 hampers a month and a lot of people just want the Christmas hampers so that’s why the numbers are quite a bit higher,” she said.

Blackburn said it’s hard to know just how big the veterans community is in Calgary because many don’t need help. But she guesses there are close to 1,000 that have come …