Top 3 items needed by Waterloo region's food bank are pull-tab cans, tomato sauce and rice

Cans with pull-tabs, tomato sauce and rice are the top three food items The Food Bank of Waterloo Region needs right now.

"The great thing about pull tabs is you don't need to have a can opener to open them, which is really essential for those who may be on food assistance," food bank interim CEO Kim Wilhelm told CBC News while standing in the sorting room of the warehouse.

"Typically stews and soups are really great things that come in the pull tab cans."

Tomato sauce, she said, is an item that tends to get picked up often because it's versatile and the same is true for rice.

"It's a great filler item and people in different cultures can use it," Wilhelm said.

The food bank has seen demand for its services grow over the past year by 113 per cent, acommunity impact report released last monthsaid.

Wilhelm explains people don't go to the food bank to pick up items. Instead, there's a food assistance network where the food bank distributes food to different agencies who in turn offer it to people who need it.

The holidays are a particularly busy time for the food bank and Wilhelm says every dollar they're able to raise helps feed people who are hungry. For every $1 they collect, the food bank is able to turn that into two meals.

No one in our community should go hungry

CBCKitchener-Waterloo's annual Sounds of the Season campaignhelps The Food Bankof Waterloo Region.

• Learn more about the campaign here