Wednesday is a difficult day for Shirley Kilbride.
It is the day before she gets paid, so she spends it figuring out how she will feed her three children.
Sometimes she can stretch to chicken nuggets and chips for the children, while she will have beans on toast. Once they are fed, she is happy.
As a lone parent, Shirley is finding the rising cost of living a struggle and putting food on the table is getting harder.
By the time she pays her bills, she has around €25 left. That money goes back towards electricity or on bread and milk, so she does not "see it".
Shirley knows she is not alone in this difficulty and points out that many people "can probably relate" to her situation.
"I remember going shopping there a while ago and it was over my budget and I'm like 'oh God, do I have to put some things back?'"
Shirley's experience is echoed in findings published by Barnardos that show the harsh impact food poverty is having on families and children.
Support from Aldi Ireland enabled the charity to commission a survey by Amárach, which was carried out in January to find out the prevalence and impact of food poverty on children and families in Ireland.
It found 51% of parents said they had cut down spending in areas such as household and medical bills, loan repayments, clothes, hobbies and transport to afford food.
This rose to 62% among those not working and homemakers.
It found 10% of parents and those looking after children are skipping meals in an average week to feed the children in their care, while 9% of parents said they felt "close" to food poverty.
Barnardos Project Worker Danielle Perry said people have been forced to choose between using electricity and feeding their family.
"We have families who possibly wouldn't be able to have the electricity on. They wouldn't be able to have the electricity for the cooker to heat the food or to cook the food.
"So, it is choosing between what they can or cannot do. There is a lot of additional strain on families who are already under pressure," she said.
Demand for Barnardos services is on the rise. At its centre in Loughlinstown where Danielle is based, the demand for food hampers and additional resources has gone up.
She said: "When we say hampers, it would be cereal, tinned goods, rice, pasta. So, it’s very basic, but for families, it would be something that would make a meal.
"If it is a couple of days before a payment, it would give them food for the kids, and I suppose, themselves."
Barnardos is seeing many parents choosing to "go without", rather than feeding themselves.
The charity provides two meals to those in its preschool, including breakfast and a cooked meal.
Some children are being introduced to foods like fruit and vegetables for the first time because parents cannot consider foods like berries in their weekly shop.
Shirley sticks to apples and bananas.
"I can't get strawberries or raspberries, because you're talking €5 for just a tiny little box of them, it’s ridiculous," she said.
Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said that following the pandemic, there is now a notable divide in society.
"We are a wealthy enough country to give a helping hand to those who need it, and the Government needs to do all it can as a rich wealthy nation to ensure that those most in need can get the help they can."
She said the Government needs to set up a Hardship Fund, distributed by community welfare officers, so families can access resources that they need for things like fuel and food.
"Roll out the hot school meals and ensure that social welfare payments meet the minimum standard of living," she said.
The research published by Barnardos will be launched at a forum this morning entitled "Food Poverty - the lifelong impact for vulnerable children and families".
The online event aims to raise awareness of the prevalence and impact of food insecurity on children and families in Ireland.
