The cold temperatures are having a greater demand on some food banks in our region.

It's not officially winter yet, but some people are already being forced to make the difficult choice between heating their homes and putting food on the table.

“Some of our shelves are getting pretty empty because we have to keep up with the demand,” said Michelle Kalbhenn, a food bank co-ordinator in Glace Bay, N.S. “So, we're in need of a few groceries back there too.”

It's a small help, but a start.

Mickey McNeil of Dominion, N.S., is collecting powdered milk for the food bank, hoping to help provide families with at least this basic necessity.

He knew he needed to pitch in when he heard about a child using water for their morning cereal.

“If it's one child, it's one child too many,” McNeil said. “This day and age, no children around here or anywhere should have to put water in their cereal.”

At the food bank, some shelves are already bare, with officials wondering how they'll make it through the winter months.

“Our numbers are going up here, so we are looking at 30 orders a day or more going out per day,” said Kalbhenn. “Our numbers are growing upstairs, too, for our hot meals. So we're looking at over 65 people a day that we feed.”

McNeil has a goal to collect more than $3,000 worth of milk. It may seem like a lofty number, but with temperatures getting colder earlier, he's asking people to dig deep and donate.

“Some of these big organizations, you would love to see them come here with a truck and back it up to the door and unload twenty to thirty cases of milk, but we'll take whatever we get,” McNeil said.

Kalbhenn is pleased to hear about McNeil’s efforts.

“That is a fantastic thing for us because we go through a lot of canned milk,” she said. “People just don't have access. Four litres of milk is expensive now.”

The milk drive runs until the 30th of this month at Dominion Rink.

Meanwhile food bank officials are hoping the cold temperatures are not a sign of what Mother Nature has in store for us this winter.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.