Executive Director of the Ottawa Food Bank Peter Tilley said the crunch time will likely be November. (CBC)

The people who run the Ottawa Food Bank are sounding an alarm as this summer's drought drags on, and farmers are feeling the pinch.

It’s bad news on two fronts for the food bank: higher prices for groceries it buys, and less produce donated by farmers.

"When we hear wheat crops are depleted, when we hear corn crops are suffering, we know that we're going to face a huge increase in prices. And, apparently, it's a three-month lag. So we think by October or November, prices are going to skyrocket," said Peter Tilley, director of the Ottawa Food Bank.

At the food bank, 80 per cent of the food is donated. That means the remaining 20 per cent is purchased from wholesalers, and that's causing a lot of concern this season.

"Food purchases are the biggest item in our budget. In fact, we spend over a million dollars a year on food purchases," Tilley said. But that’s not the only problem.

Ottawa-area farmers traditionally give some of their bounty to the food bank — a sack of potatoes here, and box of tomatoes there. But this year's harvest could be meagre.

"If they aren't able to grow as many local fruits and vegetables, they won't be able to donate as many fruits and vegetables," said Melanie Proteau-Blake, agency relations co-ordinator at the food bank.

Tilley is more blunt.

"There will be no gleaning this year. The farmers don't have the product to give," he said.

With grocery prices expected to rise, the number of hungry families will also grow.

For now, the warehouse is stocked. But the people who run the food bank worry that the cupboards could be bare come Thanksgiving Day.