Staff and volunteers at the Whitehorse Food Bank have a new focus thanks to the Calgary Food Bank.

Last week, the Alberta organization delivered 24 pallets of donations to the local food bank, including juice, soap and ice packs.

Debbie Thomas, the local bank's acting manager, explained that as a member of the national association of food banks, the Whitehorse facility can tap into other resources when needed.

With the shelves close to bare at the Alexander Street building and the bank purchasing more and more of the food it was handing out, executive director Stephen Dunbar-Edge put the call out that Whitehorse was in need. Calgary answered the call with 24 pallets of goods.

"It was a mix of things,” Thomas said Monday, noting there were many items the local food bank needed, like canned soup, juice and cereal, among others.

There were also some things the Whitehorse organization didn't need, like soap and freezer ice packs for coolers which it will pass on to other groups that can use them.

Thomas was quick to point out that the Calgary organization has access to more corporate donations, which gives it a more diverse range of goods.

"We're thrilled to receive all of this,” Thomas said.

This morning, volunteers were still sorting through the goods, putting what they could into hampers for this week's distribution later today and deciding where the rest would go on the shelves.

A number of banana boxes remained on the top shelves of the food bank waiting to be sorted through.

"It's kind of an inventory management issue right now,” Thomas said.

Standing next to the shelves, Dunbar-Edge compared the boxes to a Christmas surprise – there's no way of knowing what's in the boxes until they're opened. It's a mix of things, he said.

With September just a day away, Thomas is hopeful the order from Calgary will keep the Whitehorse Food Bank supplied until at least the annual food drive held each fall.

As Thomas pointed out, it's not unusual for local donations to drop off during the summer months, when many Yukoners are out of town on vacation. She expects the fall season will mean an increase in the amount of local donations coming in.

"We should be in good shape for a while,” she said.

That said, the local food bank still needs a few goods that weren't part of the order from Calgary, including jam and canned meat.

Donations can be made to the bank at 306 Alexander St.

A group of Conservative MPs and senators held a fund-raising barbecue for the bank at The Old Fire Hall two weeks ago.