MILITARY FAMILIES TURN TO FOOD AID

The number of military families seeking food assistance has risen; even more need the help but are afraid to ask. Since the start of the Recession, the dollar amount of food stamps used at military commissaries has quadrupled, hitting $103 million last year. About 2,000 food-stamp recipients listed their occupations as active-duty military in 2012, according to the most recent data from the USDA. The military also has its own program designed to provide families with additional money for food so that they don’t qualify for food stamps. Food banks around the country have also reported a rise in the number of military families they serve. Operation Homefront, an organization that provides financial assistance to military members and their families helped about 30,000 families in 2013 (including recent veterans) with emergency food.

 

Source: American Prospect, 4/1/14, Feeding Military Families