Honor Veterans by reducing their risk of hunger.

On Veterans Day, we honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s military members – both past and present.   What makes their job even more difficult is when they are distracted by events at the dinner table, or more aptly, non-events at the dinner table. Veterans and active military personnel should never have to worry if they make enough to feed their children or if healthy nutritious meals are out of financial reach. Here’s what we do know about how our military communities are at risk of hunger.

Commissary shopping trends show the growing need for federal nutrition support for military communities.

Shopping at the military commissaries is one of the ways families can save money on their grocery bills since they offer tax-free shopping.  According to the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) shoppers with military ID can save an average of 30 percent on their purchases.  Research by the Huffington Post indicates that the use of federal nutrition program benefits such as SNAP and WIC by military members and their families increasing.

Veterans are not immune to SNAP cuts.

The 900,000 veterans estimated to rely on food stamp benefits each month,  more than 105,000 of whom are Texans,  are in the crosshairs of cuts that are being proposed to the program as part of the Farm Bill.  The House version of the Farm Billwill remove approximately 3.8 million people from the program in 2014 and nearly 3 million each year for the next 10 years according to the CBPP.  This means 170,000 veterans and their families  will be at risk for hunger and may need to turn to food banks like ours to make ends meet.

These cuts mean that we will be bringing more stories like Silvia’s to you (featured in this quarter’s feedback newsletter), and partners like Operation Once in a Lifetime serving Fort Hood Families will see longer lines.

We believe that one of the best ways  to show our care and respect for our military is to ensure they have the basic resources to support their families.

Show your support by making a call to your elected officials today. Let them know that our military deserves better than having to face hunger.