COEUR d'ALENE - Carolyn Shewfelt is ready to talk turkey.

Yes, right now, during the season of hot dogs and baseball.

"We're getting a little stressed about Thanksgiving already," said Shewfelt, manager of the Community Action Partnership Food bank in Coeur d'Alene.

Shewfelt's concern stems from the rising number of people relying on the food bank located on Industrial Loop, and the growing amount of food it takes to serve them.

In 2009, Community Action Partnership distributed 419,042 pounds of food between January and June. This year, it handed out 695,941 pounds of food during the same time, representing a 66 percent jump in need.

This past June, the food bank gave out 138,396 pounds of food to more than 10,000 individuals. It received 92,423 pounds of food from grocers and other donors.

"We have been distributing more than we are receiving on a consistent basis," Shewfelt said.

They anticipate 3,500 people will request turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, and Shewfelt has no idea where the birds, and the trimmings, will come from.

"A lot of people will think about donating the week of Thanksgiving, but we can't distribute that week," she said.

Shewfelt knows it seems early to start talking about the November holiday, but the need has grown significantly since 2008 when they gave out 843 Thanksgiving baskets. Last year, the number climbed to 2,600.

More people are signing up to receive food from the Post Falls Food Bank also, said director Sherry Wallace.

If the current trend continues, Wallace expects they will be serving about 150 new households by Thanksgiving.

"We're experiencing a whole new realm of first-time visitors to the food bank," Wallace said.

She believes many are people whose unemployment benefits have run out.

"We're seeing more working poor families, where one person in the household is working, sometimes less than 40 hours per week," Wallace said.

They are also serving more homeless people at both food banks.

As the need grows, Shewfelt said, donations are declining.

"There are a lot of people who were givers who are now barely getting by themselves," Shewfelt said.

The annual food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers, one of the Coeur d'Alene food bank's largest drives, was down 5,000 pounds this year, she said.

"What's really sad is that a lot of people are giving extra food that they have in their cupboard, and more frequently we're receiving outdated food that we can't serve," Shewfelt said.

The food banks are required to follow USDA guidelines, and non-perishable items that are several years old cannot be distributed.

This year, Community Action Partnership has received some items, like instant iced tea mix and bags of onion rings, that are already opened.

"People still want to help, and they think they are, but we can't distribute those things for safety reasons," Shewfelt said.

There are other ways to help.

At area Super 1 Foods stores, shoppers will soon be able to buy a $5 or $10 pre-made bag of food for donation to that store's local food bank. Participating shoppers will receive five coupons for $1 off admission to the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo. The coupons can be used at the fairgrounds on Friday, Aug. 26.

Wallace said the Post Falls Food Bank has requested that many of those donations be used to purchase items they will need to fill Thanksgiving baskets.

Donors frequently ask Wallace what type of donation works best for the food bank, cash or food.

"If they love to shop, I tell them, by all means, support our local grocers who give so much to us," Wallace said. "If they like to write a check, I can turn that $1 into $3 of food."

Shewfelt said people can help by donating at the Fred Meyer store beginning this weekend through Aug. 16. Art & Home Center, 1619 West Lee Court, Coeur d'Alene, will be collecting food throughout the month.