More than 5,500 people have needed emergency parcels from the Dundee Foodbank in less than a year.
That is nearly double the number of men, women and children who used the service in 2012-13.
Some are in such a bad way they do not even have the means to cook the food they are given.
It has become the norm to ask people referred to the foodbank if they have an oven, if they have a microwave if they have access to a kettle.
Project manager Dave Morris said they have had to put together parcels of instant pasta, noodles and soups for poverty-stricken families who just barely have the means to boil water.
“We have had quite a few cases where we’ve been told the person literally has nothing,” he said.
“They can’t cook because they don’t have the facilities. In most cases, we find they at least have access to a kettle.”
Every person who walks through the doors has their own tragic story.
Currently, 140 people a week access the Dundee Foodbank including folk who cannot list a permanent address to get benefits because they are in and out of hospital, and mums and dads who work full-time but cannot earn a wage to support their families.
Even in the face of this huge demand for the service, Dave still finds it difficult knowing there are so many people who cannot afford even basic food supplies in Dundee in 2014.
He said: “We feed about 140 people a week a far higher average than 18 months ago. In 2012-13, over the whole financial year, we fed 3,400 people, but just 11 months into this one and we have crashed through the 5,500 barrier.
“It’s the usual range of reasons benefit-related problems, family situations, or just completely unexpected things that no one would be able to predict,” he added.
When the welfare changes came into force, the number of people coming to the foodbank sky-rocketed.
Dave said it was undeniable the reform is having a bigger impact than politicians are willing to admit.
But in his opinion it’s not just the welfare system that needs to change. It’s the whole system of work.
“Work needs to pay,” he said. “People should not need to take out payday loans when they work.
“And in Dundee it’s also a case of the type of job. Since industry left the city, there is not a lot for lower skilled or manual workers.”