Boxes filled with food pile high off the ground at The Wiregrass Area Food Bank.

For agencies----its becoming more of a hot spot to shop.

Executive Director Wiregrass Food Bank David Hanks,"We've got more agencies that manage their food pantries shopping here today than we did this time last year."

And that means they will need even more for the holidays.

"So it's basically the basics that we always need, but we need more during the holidays.  The biggest concern for us is the demand is up so much.  It's up 27% over last year," said Hanks.

Food banks this summer haven't been as successful.

Hanks said, "During the summer months when people vacation.  They aren't as active with some of the causes because they are doing personal things."  

In order to meet supply and demand----they have to find food somewhere else.

Hanks said, "About 600 or 700 thousand pounds of that food will be raised in our immediate area.  But the rest of it we need to transport it from somewhere in the United States to meet the needs right here in The Wiregrass."


How much food is donated for Thanksgiving and Christmas?

"Traditionally, we will distribute about 1 million pounds of food the last three months of the year," said Hanks.

They are making it their business to make sure every empty stomach is fed.