Desperate parents going without food so their children can eat, queues of hungry people reliant on food parcels and families regularly shivering without fuel.
It may sound like a description of Victorian Britain, but for too many people it is the depressing reality of 21st century living across Scotland.
Shocking statistics revealed by The Courier showed that the Glenrothes and Central Fife constituency has the worst child poverty rates in the country outside of Glasgow, with 27% of youngsters living below the breadline.
A more detailed study of the figures shows that 38% of children in Buckhaven, Methil and the Wemyss Villages are living in poverty.
This does not mean being unable to afford a car or the latest gadgets, it means going without the basics and the rising cost of food and fuel, combined with welfare reform, means things are only going to get worse.
Research carried out by lone-parent organisation Fife Gingerbread in conjunction with the Poverty Alliance found many people are facing increased stress and mental health problems due to living in poverty.
Some parents reported they were skipping meals so their children did not go without, and high numbers said they had difficulty accessing healthcare due to a lack of access to public transport and high fuel costs.
Fife Gingerbread, based in Leven, said it had received 258 new referrals last year, 87 of which were from Central Fife.
It is supporting more people in crisis due to poverty and its lists are increasing as other local support organisations reach capacity.
Lisa Maley, from Leven, is a Gingerbread volunteer and supports other lone parents through crisis. The 34-year-old said she was shocked by what people were going through.
“We have parents going without food to provide for their kids,” she said.
“When you think about poverty, you think about Third World countries, but it’s happening here and now.”