AKRON, Ohio — As the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank heads into its peak season, the director of operations explains the need has become more difficult to meet. The reason is twofold: rising cost of food and supply chain issues. 

"We’ve been experiencing what I refer to as a double whammy here at the food bank," Director Operations at Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank Jennifer Dyer said. "So it means increased expenses, it means perhaps not having enough food.” 

Local donations are down 14 percent, she added. 

"When those food donations are down, we have to step in and purchase food," Dyer said. "So our purchase program represents typically around 5 percent of our overall inventory, and now we are seeing it upwards of 10 percent.” 

Many popular food items have been hard for the food bank to get ahold of. 

"It really is important that we are sorting and inspecting and making sure that the things that are hard to come by in grocery stores, such as corn, or pasta sauce, we are inspecting it, sorting it and putting it into boxes so we can put it out into those families homes as quickly as possible," she said.

November and December are peak season for the food bank, so right now, they need all the help they can get.  

"You can find ways to get involved whether it is actually coming to the volunteer center to help us with our sorting, inspecting and repacking process," she said. "If it is financially, donating one dollar will donate four meals to those in need.”