With food bank traffic increasing around military installations, military families are suffering. If your post is doing something to assist those families share your efforts with us.
As the U.S. government shutdown moves into its fourth week – and with the uncertainty of paychecks going to U.S. servicemembers on Nov. 1 – military families continue to be caught in the crossfire.
Around a quarter of active-duty military qualify as food insecure, forcing some to rely on either federal or local resources. That’s put a strain on local food banks, which have reported a 30-75-percent increase in demand, depleting their resources. Other critical supplies, such as diapers and other household items, also are a struggle to purchase.
Compound that with the announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture won’t be issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November, and some military families are facing dire circumstances.
In times of crisis, American Legion posts have stepped up to assist others, whether it be financially or through food and supply drives. This was never more evident than during the coronavirus pandemic, when the American Legion Family mobilized to feed the hungry and isolated.
If your post is doing something similar for military families in your community during the government shutdown, we want to know about it so we can share you efforts through our media channels. Please send all the pertinent information regarding your post’s efforts, including photos and contact information, to sbrooks@legion.org.
- Community