Standing in the doorway of her home in North London, Margaret Donaghue looks worn out from the pandemic, isolation and the financial struggle.

Until recently, her family of five has always managed to pay their bills and buy groceries. Her eldest son worked as a casual laborer but since COVID-19 struck that work has dried up.

"It's been a struggle," Margaret says. "Especially with the coronavirus, because we are all vulnerable."

The family is shielding because their other son is on the vulnerable list.

Margaret says a few months ago, she had to use a food bank for the first time. She says initially it felt "embarrassing and degrading" but she's grateful for the help and says they could not survive without it.

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As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the UK economy, food insecurity is growing.

A recent report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found 1.3 million children under the age of five across the UK are living in child poverty. The number of people on government-provided welfare benefits, called Universal Credit, has doubled in the past few months to 5.7 million people. Another 2 million are still waiting to get on the list for Universal Credit.

Before the pandemic, the Sufra food bank and kitchen in North London delivered around 70 parcels of food a week. Now it's blown out to 300 parcels a week for 800 people. The volunteers are busier than ever.

Around half of the food parcels are delivered to reduce the number of people gathering outside the center. But that also means volunteers can't give people the time and support they once did.

Nina Parmar, a logistics and volunteer coordinator for Sufra, says the demand has been steadily rising throughout the pandemic.

"We had a huge spike at the beginning and with each government announcement [on lockdown measures] there are more families and individuals in need, so the demand is really high."

Sufra food bank is based in London's Brent Council, where a third of households live below the poverty line and more than 40 percent of children live in poverty. 

Anaam Hussein also volunteers at Sufra and says the wider community is aware just how much people are suffering at the moment.

"We have donors sending us things every day," Hussein says.

"We get deliveries from supermarkets sent in – toiletries, sanitary products, long-life milk, fruit and vegetables and we are always very grateful."

On a bitterly cold day in the city, when the streets have been emptied by lockdown measures and the bad weather, Margaret explains that in her neighborhood many homes are in the same predicament.

She says even people with jobs, part-time work or low-paid employment, can't afford food.

"People who are paying taxes and paying their bills are barely existing."

Video editor: Nuno Fernandes | Producer: Nicole Johnston