The Fredericton Food Bank received a huge donation Tuesday — a refurbished delivery truck from Purolator.

It's the second food bank in the country to receive such a donation, and local officials say it will allow them to expand services.

Elizabeth Crawford-Thurber, the food bank’s executive director, says when she saw the new truck, it was an overwhelming feeling.

Now that the food bank has a third truck, it can pick up and deliver more food to the nearly 2,000 people it serves each month, she said.

"When you start getting your numbers increasing ... you are going to keep up with the food needs, so we need to expand and find more food to bring into our food bank," Crawford-Thurber said.

The food bank will be able to expand its donation pickups to hotels, churches and even more farms, and improve the mobile service to those who can’t make it to the centre due to health reasons, she said.

Demands increasing

The food bank currently hands out nearly 850 food hampers every month, with many going to families with young children.

Since 2008, the demand has been steadily rising, and during the summer, the donations drop.

“All my chicken noodle soups, all my creams soups, all my tomato soups, they are all missing here," said Jim Smith, food resources director for the food bank. "Kraft Dinner up [normally] on these shelves is missing."

Smith says the new truck will make a big difference, both in bringing in more food and in getting the food to the people in need.

The Eden Community Food Bank in Mississauga also received a Purolator truck in January.