In a line winding around the Greener Village parking lot on the north side of Fredericton, C.J. Andrews moves slowly.

He stops and waits for his turn. About eight vehicles are idling in front of his bike.

His girlfriend, Hannah Zeiler, sits cross-legged in a bike trailer hitched to the back of his bike. Under her seat is a large box of canned beans and peas that they brought to donate. But they are both here for a food basket as they have done once a month for the past six months.

While they wait, they talk about exactly how much cash is in their bank accounts.

Zeiler said, "I have about eight dollars."

Andrews's account is overdrawn, saying, "I have about 15 dollars negative in my account right now."

Both are in their early twenties and have jobs. Andrews says he works in the paving industry, and Zeiler is an apprentice tattoo artist.

Despite struggling to make ends meet, Andrews will tell you he was very proud to head to the food bank at first. In his view, it’s a charity meant for people living in a harsher place than he is, but costs just kept rising.

He said, "I have a job, and I have money coming in. It’s just not enough money." "And it’s hard to realize that what you’re doing isn’t enough. And sometimes you need help."

The rising costs of rent, groceries, and phone and internet bills pull them down, but the food basket once a month lifts them up temporarily. Andrews estimates he brings in about $1,500 from his job.

He said, "Rent has been so high lately that you’re expecting anywhere from nine hundred to twelve hundred dollars a month for a one-bedroom apartment at this point."

And despite his initial hesitation, Andrews now appreciates how the food bank has helped him. He describes Greener Village as an inclusive place that has broken down barriers and made him feel part of the community.

He said, "There are people who donate. There are people coming to get food. There are people coming here for the first time. There are people coming here for their second time in a row. And you can meet just about anyone."

Behind them, a few cars back, Kaitlyn Lahaye sits in the passenger seat. She says she comes to the food bank every few weeks.

She said, "Recently, I was laid off from my job. I found another one now, but during that time it was a little more frequent." "Even though I’m making a little bit more in this job, I hope I don’t have to."

Lahaye said she thinks there is a significant stigma attached to people who go to the food bank, adding that some people assume clients must be homeless or consider it "the absolute bottom of the barrel."

She said, "For some, that may be true, but at the same time, I’d rather go to the food bank than not get my medication." "Or spend an outrageous amount of money on two days’ worth of food."

Each time the basket varies.

She said, "I try not to be picky. Whatever they offer, I’m more than happy to take it." "Last time we got a bunch of frozen fish which was really nice."

Karen is also in line, but not for herself. She is running an errand for an elderly person who receives a food box from Greener Village once a month.

She said, "He lives on a pension and doesn’t make enough to live and pay his bills and buy groceries."

While Dillon Novak waits for his food, he shares his own story. This is his third trip to Greener Village. Currently, he lives in a trailer.

He said, "Basically, I’m just struggling to make ends meet." "Between the price of gas and the price of renting a place, I can’t afford it."

Novak works odd jobs in scrap steel hauling to help people clean out their yards.

He said, "The lack of work isn’t good either."

While sitting in his truck pulling a large trailer, Novak notices Andrews and Zeiler dropping off some cans they brought to donate. They seem slow as they sort through how to load their bike trailer with food. Novak introduces himself to the couple and offers them a ride home instead so they don’t have to haul their food by bike.

He said, "I believe in what’s happening. And if more people helped each other, I think the world would definitely be a better place."

A Nanos survey for CTV News found that one in five Canadians say they or someone they know has used a food bank in the past 12 months.

Of more than 1,000 Canadians surveyed, only 2% of respondents said they visited a food bank for help, but double that number knows a family member who did, and more than 10% said they have a friend or acquaintance who received assistance.