Young Military Families Frequent Food Banks. Enough Is Enough
By Mark Belinsky, April 7, 2021
“No servicemember helping protect our country should worry about putting food on their table,” said Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret), MOAA’s president and CEO. “Food insecurity becomes a primary focus for those servicemembers with families affected, making it difficult to remain focused on their mission at home or deployed. The Military Hunger Prevention Act is essential to supporting our servicemembers and families.”
Food insecurity a problem in the US military,
and local food banks and aid groups see it
By Abbie Schull, April 05,2021, The News Tribune
“Military families are increasingly turning to food banks as they struggle to put food on the table. According to a 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey by Blue Star Families, 14% of active-duty service members reported experiencing food insecurity.
During an interview with CBS News in March, Desiree Alvarez, whose husband is a private at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic she has had to consistently rely on the food bank to feed her family.”
“We couldn’t go a full week without having to go get help from a food pantry,” Alvarez told CBS. “These kids are worth it, like, our family is worth it. We’re worth getting the help that we need.”
Hunger in the U.S. Military: ‘Families Have Been Struggling With This For A Long Time’
By Catherine Gorey, March 23, 2021
COVID-19 has caused hardship among the nation’s vulnerable, but a surprising issue is coming to the forefront that has been festering for many years; hunger in military families. CBS News shared the story of Kay, a military spouse, who recently traveled to a food bank to feed her family of six. “It lasts a couple of days, maybe just because there are so many of us in the house,” said Kay. Her husband works at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. His take-home pay is roughly $3,000 a month, which falls short of their family’s expenses. “I cannot feed my kids. I cannot make this vehicle payment because I had to feed my kids. It’s just unacceptable, really,” Kay said.
It is AMEN’s mission to address that food insecurity.
It takes broad shoulders and deep pockets to meet these types of challenges. AMEN could use your help in whatever form that takes.
Ways you can help:
1. Donate
2. Get involved by volunteering
Consider donating to AMEN with your BottleDrop account balance and/or support us with BottleDrop Give Blue Bags. https://www.bottledropcenters.com/fundraiser/american-military-encouragement-network/
