Edmonton's Food Bank short fundraising goals this holiday season

Food bank struggling to meet fundraising goal Edmonton's Food Bank is short of its goal of $4 million and 300 tonnes of food.

Edmonton's Food Book is pushing to reach its goal of $4 million and 300,000 kilograms of food for this year.

As an organization, Edmonton's Food Bank serves more than 34,000 people and 400,000 meals and snacks each month.

The last 45 days of the calendar year is a crunch time for the organization.

Currently, the food bank is sitting at $1,173,000 (29 percent of the goal) and 90,000 kilograms of food (30 per cent) with four weeks to go.

"Those goals are meant to help us meet our needs right now and in the new year as an organization," said Tamisan Bencz-Knight, Edmonton's Food Bank spokesperson. "So right now as an organization we are looking about 30 per cent of our food goal and about 30 per cent of monetary goals."

Bencz-Knight told CTV News Edmonton the food bank is optimistic it will reach its goals.

Currently, there are a number of campaigns happening in the city to support Edmonton's Food Bank.

"There's many campaigns happening within the community supporting our work; Candy Cane lane kicked off on Friday," said Bencz-Knight. "Edmonton symphony orchestra, their musicians on their breaks [during] this weekend's show on the 15th and 16th, their musicians will be out collecting over at intermission, so you will get an opportunity to meet some of the musicians and then contribute to support our work."

Edmonton's Food Bank encourages the public to contribute any way they can.

Donations can be made online and volunteers are welcome to help.

"What people can give is appreciated. If people can continually give gifts of food, funds or time, that makes all the difference. And maybe somebody can contribute two hundred dollars or become a monthly donor," said Bencz-Knight.

To find out all of the ways to give, visit edmontonsfoodbank.com or call 780-425-2133.