Missoula, Mont -- With demand for food at off the chart levels, Montanans are feeling the recession. The Montana Food Bank Network in Missoula is stepping it up to fulfill the tall order.

Tough times are forcing the Food Bank Network to change the way it serves Montana. "They're tough times for Montanans in general," explains Mark Brennan, the Director of Development for the Food Bank Network.

The network provides help to 192 food agencies like senior citizen centers, reservation programs and food pantries, but even that isn't enough. "Family's locally are just not able to get enough food," says Brennan.

In the past three years, the demand for their services has gone off the charts. "We distributed 4.4 million pounds of food in 2008 and 7.3 in 2009. That's a 61% increase and we expect to do more even than those numbers this year," Brennan tells us.

In June of this year, workers served approximately 115-thousand households. "What's gone on with the economy in recent years, we tended to become more like the grocery store for needy folks. We aren't really designed to be that and there is a lot of stress associated with meeting these increase levels of demand," says Brennan.

In addition to providing agencies throughout Montana with food, workers started running their own food distribution days to help more people. The demand is high, but the Food Bank Network is determined to meet it.

They will be holding a food distribution day Monday, August 2nd at Missoula 3:16 from 2 to 4 p.m.

You can visit Montana Food Bank Network by clincking here.