REGINA -- Food Banks of Saskatchewan has launched a new fundraising campaign to ensure residents have access to food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Donations can be made to the Food Banks of Saskatchewan Crisis Response Fund at skfoodbanks.ca.

The food bank says many people in urban and rural communities across the province are facing a crisis due to COVID-19.

There are 32 food banks in Saskatchewan. They usually help an estimated 40,000 people, but expect that number to skyrocket in the coming months.

“We anticipate that the economic impact of COVID-19 will see thousands of people visiting us who never imagined they would be forced to rely on a food bank to survive,” Laurie O’Connor with the Saskatoon Food Bank said in a news release.

The food bank says a $100 donation will feed two families for a week.

Donations to food banks have decreased as people take fewer trips to grocery stores. Many people are also focused on securing food for their own families, the food bank said.

There has also been a decrease in volunteers due to the need for physical distancing. Food banks are coming up with alternative distribution methods to minimize social contact, including to-go boxes for hamper pick up.

“Economic pressures will lead to a surge in demand on our food bank unlike anything our community has experienced before.,” John Bailey with the Regina Food Bank said in a release. “Hundreds of thousands of meals worth of food will be delivered to people, many of whom will never have considered that they would need to rely on a food bank. We will have to change the way we operate to meet the needs of our community, and we need the support of our community to make it happen.”