The cost of living crisis isn't just about the price of cheese, it's also put even more pressure on our most vulnerable families, with 15 percent of Kiwi kids living in homes where food often runs out.
Parents are having to make stark choices about whether they pay the rent or keep the heat on or send their kids to school with food.
According to KidsCan when the "essentials are out of reach" it's a full-blown crisis. And when people need charities like KidsCan even more, it's exactly when people pull back on donating.
Charities like KidsCan, which supply the basic necessities like food to schools and early childhood centres, are also feeling the pinch. They're seeing the first drop-off in people signing up to donate regular monthly amounts in 18 years.
Clendon Christian Preschool manager Tony Bracefield said there is no question that child poverty is worse now than in previous years.
"In these COVID times, we already have got huge challenges trying to get continuity of education and on top of that when they're well and yet no food and still not coming it's terrible," Bracefield told The Project.
He said families are having to make terrible decisions between power, food and fuel.
Bracefield said they are even having to wash children's clothes at their preschool because families can't afford to.
"Sadly we even have children come with dirty clothes to begin… That's what you have to do because the poor children, they're not choosing this."
He said before KidsCan, parents wouldn't send children to preschool because they didn't have lunch. And while there isn't an easy solution to child poverty, what KidsCan is doing can help break the cycle.
"If we can feed the children and have our vans pick them up for free, then we can educate them," Bracefield said.
"At least we can get them ready for school and if they are ready for school then they can get ready to learn and break that cycle."
You can sign up to donate to KidsCan here or donate $15 for the 15 percent of Kiwi kids who regularly go hungry here.
