More than 35,000 grants were given out between April and June to help people buy essentials such as food, nappies, clothing and household goods, according to new figures.
During the second quarter of the year, more than 24,000 crisis grants and almost 11,000 community care grants were awarded from the Scottish Welfare Fund.
Crisis grants provide a safety net to low-income households in a disaster or emergency while community care grants are aimed at helping people to live independently.
The latest Scottish Government statistics show that in the second quarter of the year, 24,314 applications for crisis grants were accepted from a total of 34,357.
They were mostly for food and energy costs, and were claimed because of an emergency.
During the same period, 10,880 community care grant applications were accepted from a total of 17,735.
These awards were most likely to be claimed by people looking for help to stay in or set up their own home, or families facing exceptional pressures, according to the government.
Since the welfare fund scheme began in April 2013, £73 million has been spent, with 114,000 households receiving crisis grants and 81,000 households receiving community care grants.
Welfare minister Margaret Burgess said: "The Scottish Welfare Fund is a lifeline for people across the country, helping people in desperate situations buy everyday items like food, shoes and beds, and keeping them afloat during worrying times.
"The Scottish Government will continue to work with councils to publicise this scheme and reach those who are struggling to be able to afford items that many of us take for granted.
"In the face of the UK Government's continued budget cuts we are working hard to tackle poverty and our £296 million investment in welfare mitigation measures, extension to childcare and our work to encourage employers to pay the Living Wage is helping to increase income levels in Scotland.
"We need to close the inequality gap that exists in Scotland, which is why over the last few months through our Fairer Scotland discussion we have been calling on people with direct experience of poverty and exclusion to put forward their views on creating a fairer and more equal Scotland."
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