Cost of living: Food banks hand out 49 emergency parcels to hungry children in Chesterfield each week

But this represents just a fraction of the 2,052 children living in poverty in the area, suggesting many more may be going without.

The Trussell Trust distributed a record 480,000 food parcels for children across the UK in the six months to September, including 1,273 in Chesterfield.

This compares with 338 children’s parcels given out in the area in the same period five years before.

Emma Revie, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Children shouldn’t have to worry about the cost of living crisis, yet in the past six months, food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided more than 483,000 emergency food parcels for children across the UK.

“People are coming to food banks telling us they are unable to turn the heating on and are skipping meals so they can feed their children.

“Food banks in our network are set to face their hardest winter yet as the cost of living emergency is driving a tsunami of need. This is not right.

“Food banks are not inevitable, and as a charity we campaign and push for the changes needed to ensure a future where they are not needed.

“But right now, we need the help of the UK public so that we can make sure that every child, every family, every person experiencing hunger is supported.”

Compared to the overall population, children are more likely to be in low income households, government figures show.

In Chesterfield, 2,052 under-16s were living in absolute poverty last year, some 11.5% of the population of that age.

Absolute poverty means a family income is below the level needed to maintain basic living standards in terms of food, shelter and housing.