Hundreds of people have queued up outside a Dublin homeless centre since 5am to collect vouchers for Christmas.
The Capuchin Day Centre is expecting to give the vouchers to as many as 3,000 people today.
The organisation has reported an increase in people looking for hot meals each day since the start of the pandemic.
Since the 1970s, the group has also been giving out food parcels every Christmas to those struggling to make ends meet.
This year, a €50 voucher for food and clothes has replaced the traditional food parcel.
People started queuing from 5am this morning at the Capuchin Day Centre for Christmas vouchers.
More than 800 have already been handed out of an expected 3,000.
Hear from those here this morning on @PatKennyNT after 11am. pic.twitter.com/t8sH9uWRxG— Josh Crosbie (@JoshCrosbie3) December 21, 2021
Centre manager Alan Bailey says a lot of people rely on the help provided.
He said: "Other years we'd give out lots of groceries, but this year because of COVID restrictions we're giving out a Dunnes Stores voucher for €50 instead.
"People started queuing at 5am. We opened at 8am and it has been non-stop since."
The charity's founder, Brother Kevin Crowley, says the queues show the "anxiety and fear" many people have in the run-up to Christmas.
He said they are expecting 2,500-3,000 people to collect the vouchers today, while the phone also "hasn't stopped ringing" in recent days with people looking for help.
The Pat Kenny Show reporter Josh Crosbie spoke to some of those queuing this morning.
One man said the extra help at Christmas will "save his life" by helping him get food.
One woman said the extra support will "make a lot of difference" to her family this Christmas.
She said: "I have three grown daughters and they'll probably be out of work with the pandemic. I have three grandchildren as well.
"This will help me now with Christmas dinner... once we get that out of the way, everything should be good.
"[Christmas is] not about money and expensive things - it's about having your Christmas dinner on your table and the bills paid."
