More than 1,000 children across the north-east were referred to a food bank over six months, new figures have shown.
The Trussell Trust has revealed there were 1,535 referrals to foodbanks in Aberdeen between April and September – 560 of which were children.
In Aberdeenshire, there were 1,155 referrals, with 414 for children being given supplies.
The figures have increased for the same six months last year, where Aberdeen had 1,238 referrals – including 437 children – and Aberdeenshire 813 – including 275 children.
The charity recorded a 17% rise in foodbank use across Scotland, with more than 60,000 people needing assistance to put food on the table in six months.
In the Highlands, there were a 2,902 referrals, 222 in Orkney and 159 in the Western Isles.
However, Glasgow had the highest number of cases, with 10,157 people seeking help.
And according to the research carried out by the trust, 44% of the referrals were due to benefit delays and changes.
Last night, Aberdeen South and North Kincardine MSP Maureen Watt expressed her alarm at the increase in referrals.
She said: “They represent 1,535 occasions where people in Aberdeen and 1,155 people in Aberdeenshire were in such dire straits that they could not afford to eat.
“That any government would consider further cuts to the incomes of the poorest families in our society in the face of such clear evidence of rising poverty is appalling – yet George Osborne is set to plough ahead with £12billion more social security cuts.
“These new figures will put further pressure on George Osborne to scrap his planned cuts to tax credits – we will not let up on our opposition to these callous cuts.
“And if they do go ahead we stand ready to protect low income households in Scotland.”