Philabundance estimates there are 900,000 Delaware Valley residents at risk of going hungry.
This month, Action News begins a series of reports on people in our region struggling to make ends meet.
Meet Irene Bartow, a Bucks County senior citizen who can't afford to buy the food she needs to survive.
A new study by the National Women's Law Center shows she is part of a growing trend as more and more elderly are suffering from poverty.
70-year-old Irene Bartow worked all of her life as a bookkeeper; her husband was a steelworker. But when he died a year and a half ago, she lost both him and his pension.
"There was a lot of things that I had to cut down on. I had to put my health insurance to a minimum. It was a struggle," said Irene Bartow.
She gave up her house and moved in with her son until an apartment opened up in a public housing complex for low income seniors.
That's where she learned about Philabundance.
The agency gives out more than 9,000 boxes of food a month to help low-income seniors like Irene keep their kitchens stocked.
"They're great. Without them, I'd starve," said Bartow.
Bartow tells Action News, Philabundance supplies her with items that she literally could not afford otherwise.
She supplements her senior boxes with $2 lunches at the senior center and bargains at the Dollar Store. Her only income, at this point, is social security.
"People like me, and I know there's a lot of us, we need it. We really need this to survive," said Bartow.
If you want to help people like Irene, who are in need, click on the 6abc /Dunkin Donuts holiday food drive to see the many ways that you can Connect-Share-Give.
