With more Islanders asking for help, food banks are racing to fill Christmas hampers

This month has been a busy stretch at the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown.

Chantia Sawyer and a team of volunteers have spent their days packing Christmas hampers, filling bag after bag and stacking them neatly along long shelves.

It’s their busiest time of year, and this season, Sawyer said, the need is even higher than last. Roughly 1,200 families have registered for Christmas hampers through the Upper Room.

“It's not a happy thing to see [so many people] in need, but we're just excited that we're able to meet that need, and that's because of the kind donors and volunteers and the staff that we're able to help those in need,” Sawyer, the food bank's new manager, told CBC News.

Each hamper includes items needed to make a Christmas dinner like turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, along with staples like chicken broth and dessert. But this year, Sawyer said the food bank has been running low on some of those essentials.

“We find ourselves in need of the chicken broth," she said. "We have gravies we're in need of. We're in need of cranberries, stuffings and… of course, lots of turkeys.”

Last week, as the first days of hamper distribution drew near, Sawyer said calls were still coming in from families hoping to sign up.

The Upper Room Food Bank isn’t alone. Across Prince Edward Island, food banks and community groups say they, too, are working to keep up with rising demand.

Staff and volunteers at the Salvation Army food bank in Summerside are feeling the same pressure as they prepare this year's hampers.

“We're just running in all directions trying to ensure that toys are packed and food is ready for the hampers,” ministry unit officer Paul Blake told CBC’s Island Morning.

“We are up this year for our Christmas hampers. We're over 300 hampers this year, and of course that includes a lot of toys, a lot of food and a lot of packing.”

Like the Upper Room, the Summerside food bank is seeing more families who never imagined needing help. Blake said staff hear many stories from parents struggling under the weight of rising grocery prices.

“These people are not people that are… down and out. These are working people, same as you and me, but just can't afford to, you know, purchase the toys and the food for the Christmas dinner and children,” he said.

“There’s lots of anxiety.”