It's a bitterly cold morning in Surrey, B.C., while people wait at the food bank for their groceries.
About 1,000 people per day come through the doors of the food bank, and 41 per cent of them are children and babies.
Workers at the Surrey Food Bank say that over the past couple of months they've seen more people relying on the food bank for their basics.
"People in the food bank line are not what you think, they're our neighbours, they are people who are trying, who are struggling to put food on the table for the families," said Marilyn Herrmann, the food bank's director.
The food bank was started as a temporary measure 25 years ago, but now it's a necessity for many.
"Even as a working family, it's very hard to get groceries," says Kristina Young, who uses the food bank regularly.
Lana Lalonde also uses the food bank regularly. She was in foster homes as a teen and is now a single mom in her 20s.
When she lost her job, she went on income assistance. But in B.C., it's tougher to get off of welfare than it is to get into the program.
"It doesn't matter how hard you try to get ahead, you fall right back in the same hole, especially being a single mom," said Lalonde.
That's partly because the province deducts any income that a welfare recipient gets off of his or her welfare check. B.C. is the only province in Canada that deducts new income dollar for dollar, making it very difficult to get out of the assistance program.
Lalonde gets $925 per month for social assistance. Her rent is $675, leaving $250 per month for everything else.
She is determined to create a better life for her seven-year-old son.
"If I show him that I can do it that means that he can do it. I just got to keep going through the struggle. I have to just show him day after day that it will get better."
She's not sure when things will start getting better, but until that day comes she's glad that the Surrey Food Bank exists.
"If it wasn't here, I'd be really lost," says Lalonde.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Mi-Jung Lee.
