POULSBO — Reeling from four months of abnormally high usage, Fishline Food Bank is hoping to reel in large donations next Saturday during its 10th Annual Letter and Rural Carriers Drive.

The May 11 food drive is easy to donate to, according to North Kitsap Fishline Executive Director Tricia Sullivan, who pointed out that people who want to assist their neighbors in need should simply put their non-perishable food donations in their mailboxes that day. Postal workers then pick up and deliver all the items to the 3rd Avenue food bank for distribution.

The event couldn’t have come at a better time, Sullivan explained Thursday.

“We need assistance,” she said. “We have had four record breaking months in usage.”

Fishline officials have seen a sharp increase in number of families coming in for assistance since January.

“It’s the highest we’ve had in years. We’re definitely feeling it,” Sullivan said, noting that the food bank was seeing a hike in both people who had their regular work hours cut significantly, or lost their jobs completely. “We need to make sure that this food drive is successful. We need to put food on the shelves.”

Typically, food banks experience “lean” months in the spring and summer months — something the drive will help lessen.

“These have been hard times for families to make ends meet,” said Food Bank Manager Chelle Roberts. “Thank goodness they can come to Fishline for food.”

While many think that adults are the only ones going hungry in North Kitsap, Sullivan was quick to point out that 47 percent of the food bank’s clients were under 18 years of age.

“There is no reason why any child in our community should go to bed without enough nutritious food to eat,” she said. “I’m confident that good people will step forward to help.”