Canned goods, fresh produce and pasta remain on the list of donations needed for Brandon's Samaritan House Food Bank.

The agency recently put out an urgent plea for help which was generously answered by Westman residents.

Executive Director Thea Dennis says they now have about three weeks worth of food and are still looking for more.

Dennis says the number of people using the food bank continues to rise.

“We are currently serving 1,650 hampers per month and 50 per cent of those are children,” she explained. “So that's about 80 hampers per day that are going out through our organization. So the need has dramatically increased over the last few years.”

Dennis attributes the rise in numbers to a low apartment vacancy rate and the need for residents to update their education in order to attain higher paying jobs.

Donations can be dropped off at 820 Pacific Avenue in Brandon weekdays between 8:30am and 4:30pm.