By Domantė Platūkytė, LRT.lt.

As the calendar winter draws to a close following two months of bitter frost and sharply higher heating bills, more people are queuing for food aid across Lithuania. Their stories reveal a quiet crisis: some have been warming themselves only at work or school, others cannot afford winter clothing, and this year, when wells froze solid, some families melted snow for water.

Experts agree that the hardest hit are the elderly, single parents, and those caring for a disabled family member.

Simonas Gurevičius, director of the Lithuanian Food Bank, says the organisation provides food assistance to 232,000 people across the country. According to him, demand surged this winter after January’s heating bills arrived – driven both by the prolonged cold snap and an increase in VAT.

“People face an enormous challenge because their income and their outgoings are very close to each other. They ask whether they can come for food more often, or collect it earlier. They want to be sure they will have enough to eat and still be able to pay their bills,” Gurevičius said.

‘Heating is no longer about comfort – it’s about survival’

Ingrida Radzevičė, director of the Caritas social centre Betanija, has also noticed a rise in visitors this winter.

Read more: LRT.LT