Third person gets record at dingy centre and a portion of food (7)

I believe the answer is:

helping

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'portion of food' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I don't understand the rest of the clue.

(Other definitions for helping that I've seen before include "Portion; giving aid" , "Food portion" , "Serving" , "Aiding" , "Giving assistance" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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