Nurses, teachers and middle-income families are among the people trying to access a Kinross foodbank experiencing a 70% surge in demand.
Annie McCormack, chair of Kinross-based anti-poverty charity Broke Not Broken, says it is “really starting to see stresses and strains” on middle-income households.
She told the BBC’s Sunday Show low-income families in the area are being “forced into destitution”, while nurses and teachers are also trying to access support.
The charity’s food bank is experiencing a 70% rise in users and the situation is a “lot, lot worse now than at any point during Covid”, the charity chair said.
Last year, it spent £30,000 in buying in food and £90,000 on food bank vouchers.
Middle-income families
Ms McCormack added: “What we’re seeing now is this man made pandemic of low income.
“We’re seeing people that are incredibly anxious about making ends meet.
“We’re seeing people on a low income being forced into destitution.
“And we’re seeing more people on what would have been a middle-income approaching us and asking how they get support because in real terms that middle income is now a low income.
“The challenge for those households is they aren’t eligible for the same kinds of support as people on a low income are.”
The charity raised the alarm just days after it emerged living standards are set for the biggest fall on record.
Disposable income is forecast to drop by 7% over the next two years in the largest fall since 1956, hitting households already dealing with a cost-of-living crisis.
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled a £54 billion package of cuts and tax rises on Thursday.
The “autumn statement” was the Conservative government’s attempt to fix the chaos of his predecessor’s mini budget unleashed on the UK economy in September.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned the UK Government appeared to be ushering in a return to austerity.
Impact of mini-budget
Scotland Office minister John Lamont told the BBC Sunday Show he understood “how difficult it is for people just now”.
He was quizzed on his support of former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s chaotic mini-budget just eight weeks ago.
The Tory minister previously said the “radical departure is required to deal with the immense challenges which we are facing”.
Speaking on Sunday, he said Mr Hunt’s proposals “clearly have the confidence of the markets and I think more confidence across the country”.