What did people mean when they referred to "the grasping hands of the poors" around WW2

I vaguely remember that in some historical context around the second world war and the aftermath, people used to talk about the poors and the way they reached out their dirty, skinny and bony hands to take all the food from the rich and middle class, and that it was unbecoming to act like that. I can't seem to find a primary source for this phrase however, is this just nonsense, or did it really have been said/done?