Alberta is now leading the country in food bank usage.

This comes from the 2015 Hunger Count which tracks food bank use in the province.

The stats show that Alberta has seen the largest spike in use over the last year with an increase of 23 percent.

Sheila Hughes, executive director of the Okotoks Food Bank, says Okotoks has seen a significant climb in numbers.

"In March of 2015 we saw a 47 percent increase in the number of visits to the food bank, that's from the previous March," she says.

Hughes adds the spike started in September and has continued each month since, with it all initially beginning in January where numbers were up about 40 percent or more across the board.

She says the economic changes are a large reason for the rise.

"I would say it's mainly from the change in our economy and the number of people who've been laid off," she says. "Also the increase in food prices, they've spiked significantly. We get a lot of comments from our clients coming in talking about the big increases in food prices that they've seen."

According to Hughes, overall when they add they numbers across the board from last year it shows a 35 percent increase in visits to the Okotoks Food Bank.

To learn how you can help the Food Bank provide for those in need this holiday season, click here.

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