With changes in food stamps coming and kids home from school for the summer, the Community Action Partnership Food Bank will hold a food drive July 11-15 to fill the shelves and feed those in need.

"We have a lot of families with kids that come through, a lot of senior citizens," said Nicol Barnes, food bank program manager.

In 2015, the food bank distributed 1,294,234 pounds of food to 15,827 individuals and 6,122 families. Barnes said several challenges this summer are taking a toll on the food supply that is needed to support the amount of people they serve.

Barnes said the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, were typically distributed on the first of each month. As of July, that is going to change so they will be received anywhere between the first and the 10th of each month, depending on the last number of the primary applicant’s year of birth. For example, if someone was born in 1958, they will get their food stamps on the eighth of each month. For some people, this means they will have to wait up to nine extra days to get their food assistance.

During the school year, most kids eat breakfast and lunch at school, so during the summer more food is needed in homes with families. Barnes also said one of the larger food banks in the area closed for a couple weeks, which brought more people to the CAP food bank.

While these challenges are factors in the need for more food, Barnes said the need, in general, seems to be rising.

"For myself personally, living in this community and seeing the difficulties that so many people I know are having with the cost of everything — housing and groceries and utilities and insurance and tax returns being taken away because of insurance — I just think the need for it is increasing and will continue to increase," Barnes said. "Food is something everybody has to have to survive and groceries are not cheap."

Barnes became the program manager in March and although she is new to the food bank, she has plenty of experience working with nonprofits. Barnes said she volunteered with organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Humane Society before accepting the position at Community Action.

Also a client of the food bank, Barnes said until she started working there she never realized how much work goes into keeping food on the shelves. Everything is donated because the food bank is a nonprofit. Volunteers drive around daily to the nearly 20 donors that contribute to the food bank, which include several restaurants and grocery stores in Coeur d'Alene and Hayden.

"We could not function without them," Barnes said about the volunteers and the donors.

Individuals and families can visit the "clearing house" once a week to get items during regular food bank hours — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday — and emergency food boxes are distributed three times a year.

For the food drive, the food bank is requesting donations of canned beans and chili, soup, tuna and boxed side dishes, such as macaroni and cheese. Barnes said when people harvest their gardens, the food bank "would love to take any extra that people have," because fresh produce is needed as well.

The Community Action food bank is located at 4144 W. Industrial Loop in Coeur d'Alene.

During the week of July 11-15, donations can also be made at Grocery Outlet, 410 W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d'Alene; or at Get and Go Convenience Store, 270 E. Neider Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.