More than £140m was spent on tackling food insecurity, with £51m to enable the continued provision of free school meals during school closures and holiday periods.
Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government Aileen Campbell, said: “We know that the impacts of the pandemic have been felt unevenly across Scotland, with many of the most disadvantaged or marginalised bearing the heaviest weight.
“This significant investment has helped protect people and communities during these unprecedented times. We have worked hand in hand with councils, third sector partners and communities themselves to direct funding where it was needed most and to ensure that support is there when people need it most.”
On top of the £550m Communities Funding Package, a further £479m has been awarded to local councils to meet demand for local services, and build resilience across the sector.
Michelle Carruthers, chief executive of Food Train, which received funding as part of the strategic national investment in order to continue delivering food parcels to older people, said: “There is no doubt in my mind: the support funding we have received from the Scottish Government during the pandemic has driven our ability to respond to the 70% rise in need for our grocery shopping service.
“The pandemic shone a harsh spotlight on food insecurity issues facing older people which Food Train has responded to through increasing our regional coverage of grocery deliveries.”