As the economy is continuing to struggle across the country due to low oil prices, more people are using the services provided by food banks than last year, with the biggest jump being seen in Alberta.

According to the latest report from Food Bank Canada’s HungerCount, food bank usage has spiked across the country, but almost 70,000 people in Alberta have used a food bank service as of March of this year.

75 percent of the facilities in the province have seen an increased demand for service and a lot of that has to do with a 10 percent leap in unemployment.

From the report, more than 67,000 people in Alberta were helped by food banks in March, with just 50,000 using them in 2014; that’s a 23 percent increase.

What’s more is that in 2008, around 33,000 Albertans used food banks, which means in the past seven years, the number has grown by 83 percent.

Officials add that nearly a third of those relying on food banks in Alberta are working, the highest among Canadian provinces. 26 percent of those were also two-parent family homes.

The report showed that 852,000 people used food bank services across the country in March, up just over a percent since 2014. The data shows that a third of those are children.

Food Bank Canada has come up with a number of recommendations:

  • Create a basic income to replace provincial social assistance programs
  • Increase availability of affordable housing
  • Enhance training support for Canadians with low literacy levels
  • Increase access to traditional foods

The service does agree that its work is essential to the residents who need it, but it should only be a temporary solution.

The overall goal of Food Banks Canada is to reduce poverty and food insecurity for Canadians.