The Cold Lake Food Bank is feeling the pressure as it tries to serve an increasing number of needy residents out of a space that it has long since outgrown.

“We don’t have enough space to operate here. We’re constantly on top of each other," said Michelle Myers, the food bank's executive director.

And the issue isn't limited to the city almost 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Across Alberta, the need for food support services is rising, and several local food banks in the province are pushing their current spaces to their limits to keep up with demand.

The Cold Lake Food Bank operates within a 1,500-square-foot space. Myers said the demand for services has grown more than 20 per cent on average every year for the past three years, and this surging need is straining the building's c

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