Food bank usage in Derry has hit a record high, as hundreds of hungry families "simply cannot afford" to eat.
That's according to the manager of one local foodbank group in the city.
James McMenamin, of Foyle Foodbank in the Springtown Industrial Estate, said volunteers at the centre had already prepared hundreds of food parcels for those struggling this month.
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He told MyDerry that the cost of living crisis had seen families, who had never had to use a food bank before, in desperate need of supplies.
"We've had a lot of phone calls in the last few weeks," James said. "We had people who are in a really bad place. They don't know what they are going to do and where they can turn to.
"These people don't know how they're going to survive and how they're going to feed their families or heat their homes.
"I had one lady recently and this person, who was in terrible circumstances, had the choice of heating her home or buying food.
"When she came to me she asked me if we had food for her children. She didn't care about herself, but we made sure that there was enough food for her as well."
The local food pantry, which was established in 2016, helped thousands of people in the city last year - with Derry having a population of 110,000 according to the latest NISRA figures.
"The phone calls that we're getting at the minute shows us how bad the situation is at the moment. I have never seen it as bad as this.
"We helped 3,000 people in our first year, which was six years ago. Last year, we helped 15,000 people alone. The situation in Derry is getting worse year on year.
"A lot of people in this town don't have enough money to survive.
"And thank god for the volunteers in this place. Volunteers are the backbone and without them, we would not be able to exist. They do a lot of the groundwork and that keeps everything running.
James said that a big misconception in Derry was that it was people out of work who were turning to food banks more often, but he insists the situation has grown much bigger.
"There are people in Derry who are working 40-hour weeks and they still cannot afford to survive. There are a lot of working poor people in this town and it's so heartbreaking seeing it.
"People are working incredibly hard in their lives and they're not able to eat or heat their own homes. It's crazy."
In March, the food bank has handed out parcels to more than 400 people and James expects that number to rise given the current situation.
"This foodbank is for everybody in this entire city, we do not stop at the end of a bridge," he said.
"We go far beyond what people think and we are willing to help anybody that is in need. All they have to do is ask.
"Nobody in this city and beyond should be going hungry in 2022 and that's why we are here to help."
For more information about Foyle Foodbank, you can visit their Facebook page HERE.
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