Regina Food Bank's annual food drive kicked off Monday

The Regina Food Bank kicked off its annual food drive Monday.

It is the 30th year of the drive. Last year, the food bank collectedmore than 300 tons of food in a 24-hour period. This year, the food bank hopes to replicate or exceed those numbers.

Steve Compton, CEO of Regina Food Bank, called the food drive a celebration. They're not celebrating hunger, Compton said, but people.

"It's a celebration of community coming together consistently over 30 years in Regina," he said.

"I would say to you it's a celebration of a caring and connected community," Compton added.

Compton called Regina a model city for the rest of Canada of what can be done to address hunger.

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The food drive is the longest, continuing food drivein the country, he said.

Demand has risen at the food bank. Compton said there have been 9000 people using the food bank each month this year, compared to 8500 per monththe same time last year.

"We've kept up with the demand. Summer's a challenging time for us. We find that it's the time of year, if there's an increase in the amount of people reaching out, it's a quiet time of year in terms of fundraising and donations. We weathered the storm for the summer," Compton said, adding he anticipates they'll be able to meet demand throughout fall and winter thanks to the food drive.

Paper bags will be delivered to houses in the magazine QC. Donations can be placed in the bag and left on your doorstep, Compton said. The bags will be picked up Oct. 15.

Donations can also be dropped off at grocery stores or fire departments or made online.