Flour, canned vegetables and baby food line the aisles of Guru Nanak Food Bank in Delta, B.C., which organizers say has seen an increase in demand.

Neeraj Walia, secretary of the Guru Nanak Food Bank, says in 2022 its number of registered users stood at 7,300. Today it stands at more than 18,000 and donations are not keeping pace with rising demand.

“This is the toughest time we’ve ever seen … Usually we get walk-in donations, donations by mail, cheques online. That’s all dropped off by 60 per cent. This is a very critical situation,” Walia said.

The independently operated food bank — which provides users with fresh fruit, vegetables and canned goods, but also with cultural staples such as atta, wheat flour used to make flatbreads, and ghee, clarified butter — relies on volunteers and runs without support from Food Banks B.C., a provincial association of food banks.

Walia says he wants more support in the way of provincial and federal funding. He also wants Guru Nanak to join Food Banks B.C. but alleges the membership process was far from easy to access.

“We are just like being passed out from one agency to the other agency,” Walia says. “Guru Nanak Food Bank has more than 18,000 recipients. We need a lot of help.”