Cork Penny Dinners say parents are calling them for help hours before the school run because they can't afford to provide school lunches for their children.
The charity says the number of people struggling to make ends meat is increasing year on year and most people are living in households with at least two incomes.
Parents who are asking for help for their children's lunches don't have their children enrolled in Deis schools where lunches are provided for children.
Speaking to RedFM News, Caitriona Twomey of Cork Penny Dinners says she meets the parents in a discrete place with packed lunches:
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"A load of people will say that people get the Back to School Allowance. People that are working don't get it, so their children don't get it, so they struggle big time. So we're talking about minimum wage here, or maybe just above. And we have people that are paying high rents, heavy mortgages, People with two jobs in the household. If they're saying they can make ends meet, then obviously they can't".
