Despite their service, military families have not been spared the economic ravages of the pandemic and food insecurity is reportedly soaring.
Over the past nine months, hunger and food insecurity have soared across the United States, as the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed jobs, livelihoods, and thrust tens of millions into precarious economic situations. Among the many Americans struggling to put food on the table are America’s military families, whose sacrifices have not protected them against hunger.
Nearly 40% of active-duty families said they needed food and nutrition assistance since the pandemic began, according to a recent study from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.
The issue isn’t a new one; a 2018 survey from the advocacy group Blue Star Families found that between 7% and 18% of military families and veterans indicated that someone in their household had sought emergency food assistance through a food bank, food pantry, or charitable organization. A 2019 Military Family Advisory study found that 15% struggle to feed their families.
Sorting Fact From Fiction: Sign Up for COURIER’s Newsletter.
But there’s no question the pandemic has exacerbated the crisis. Military spouses are among those who’ve lost their jobs, some of their children are no longer receiving free- or reduced- price meals at school, and military families are often unable to obtain food assistance due to a quirk in the way benefits are calculated. Many military families receive a housing allowance, an “entitlement” that is calculated as income and makes it more difficult for them to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food aid.
In Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the largest military base in the US, there was a 40% increase in requests for groceries from the base’s YMCA during the spring, the New York Times reported Wednesday. That was accompanied by a record number of grocery requests to AmericaServes, a network that provides aid to military families.
Similar stories are emerging around the country, hunger advocates told the Times and most Americans don’t have a clue this is happening.
“There is something that’s so unjust about it that the families who are making significant sacrifices for our country, and are not able to fully meet their basic needs,” Josh Protas, the vice president of public policy at Mazon, a Jewish group focused on hunger, told the Times. “The charitable sector doesn’t have the capacity to fully address this issue—nor should it. I really think the Pentagon has really tried to sweep this under the rug.”
RELATED: Military Suicides Have Gone Up 20% This Year. Here’s How Army Leaders Plan to Address That.
The Trump Administration’s Defense Department is working on a report to Congress on the matter, but believes the issue of hunger on military bases is exaggerated, Pentagon spokesman, Maj. César Santiago, told the Times.
Advocacy groups like Mazon and lawmakers like Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), a veteran, disagree and have pushed to change how SNAP is calculated, which would allow many more families to obtain food assistance through the program.
“The scope and severity of food insecurity for military families have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic is not only a national health emergency but also a time of urgent concern for those who are most vulnerable in our country. This includes our service members and their families who were already struggling,” Mazon and a coalition of military and hunger advocacy groups wrote to leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee in October. “Those who make significant sacrifices for our country should never struggle to meet their family’s basic needs.”
Politics
Pennsylvania redesigned its mail-in ballot envelopes amid litigation. Some voters still tripped up
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A form Pennsylvania voters must complete on the outside of mail-in ballot return envelopes has been redesigned, but that did...
Biden makes 4 million more workers eligible for overtime pay
The Biden administration announced a new rule Tuesday to expand overtime pay for around 4 million lower-paid salaried employees nationwide. The...
Malcolm Kenyatta makes history after winning primary for Pa. Auditor General
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who was first elected to the state House in 2018, won the Democratic nomination for Pa. Auditor General and will...
Local News
What do you know about Wawa? 7 fun facts about Pennsylvania’s beloved convenience store
Wawa has 60 years of Pennsylvania roots, and today the commonwealth’s largest private company has more than 1,000 locations along the east coast....
Conjoined twins from Berks County die at age 62
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations,...