KITCHENER -- Charities in Waterloo Region have been adjusting to the pandemic on the fly, trying their best to continue their work and service.

At the Cambridge Food Bank, demand has doubled since COVID-19 reached Canada.

Nearly 3,200 families are now looking for a safe place to access a meal.

The charity has had to adjust the way it interacts with clients by pre-packaging groceries.

"In order to make sure that when they come, their stay is really quick and they are immediately getting what the need and leaving," explains Siobhan Bonisteel, the food bank's food procurement manager.

She says they've also started adding more items into each hamper to reduce how often people need to visit.

But in order to keep meeting the increasing demand, the food bank is asking the public to check out its online list of the items most in need.

Donations can be dropped off at grocery store bins.

They're also planning a new online food drive.

"In the next few weeks you'll be able to go online and then make a donation, and it'll let you know exactly what that donation is for," Bonisteel says.

COVID-19 concerns are also prompting changes at Community Support Connections, which runs Meals on Wheels.

The program, which serves some 8,000 seniors in the region, has started shifting its attention to frozen food.

"Over the last few weeks we focused on frozen meal deliveries, bulk deliveries so we can get more meals out the door," explains Executive Director Will Pace.

One of their biggest needs through the pandemic, Pace says, is volunteers.

The House of Friendship is also adapting to life in a pandemic.

They're still offering housing and addiction treatment, but they're looking for online donations to keep helping people in need.

"The individuals who are already in precarious situations, whether it's with their housing and employment, are going to be impacted the most, immediately but also the long term," says Executive Director John Neufeld.

 Those long-term needs have prompted some short-term changes to help these charities get the work done.