Many people may be preparing for their summer vacation, but the demand on local food banks is not taking a holiday.

The Salvation Army in Fort Frances is issuing a request for food donations.

Auxiliary-Captain Arthur Heathcote says with school nearing an end, young people lose out on nutrition programs.

“It’s something that happens specifically at this time of year. We always see donations start to decrease. As well as a lot of the holiday donations that we received in December, we’ve utilized the majority of those as well so we start to see a little bit of a decline this time of year,” says Heathcote.

“What we have is we’ve seen a turnaround. So we’ve had people that utilize the food bank throughout Christmas that have gone back to work now that the good weather has come up. So those people have dropped off the food bank.”

Heathcote says they also see a mix of families and single people looking for assistance.

“The families are particularly hard hit now that the school nutrition programs are out during July and August. That just adds extra financial pressure on them. So they come looking to us to help them out with that need. And because of the community’s generosity, we’re able to make sure that all those children remain fed throughout the summer.”

The Salvation Army would like ready-to-eat foods, mostly. That includes canned fruit, pasta, beans, chili, and chunky soups, as well as pudding cups.

“There is a tremendous amount of people left in town that require food. Our children’s nutrition programs have shut down, and we’re seeing quite a few people who have limited access to cooking facilities or equipment.”

Donations can be brought to the back door of the Salvation Army’s Scott Street office between 1-4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

You can also drop items off at a bin located at Safeway.