As the busiest time of the year arrives, the Central Okanagan Food Bank says demand for support is growing faster than they can keep up.

“We are preparing for holiday hampers,” said Trina Speiser, the food bank’s development director. Staff say the need this year is noticeably higher, with Executive Director Trevor Moss calling the increase “huge.”

“Unfortunately, from this time last year to now, it’s a 19-per cent increase for us,” Moss said.

Much of that demand is coming from the region’s most vulnerable residents, children. Speiser says 44 per cent of the food bank’s clients are under the age of 15, nearly double the national average of 23 per cent.

On Thursday, the Central Okanagan Food Bank launched its annual Holiday Hamper Campaign, which is expected to support more than 4,5

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