On any given day, my husband and I exchange a volley of “what sounds good for dinner?” and “I don’t know, what sounds good to you?” We hem and haw before one of us finally breaks down and offers up a suggestion. But we haven’t always been so nonchalant about our daily meals.
When our children were young and my husband was a junior enlisted soldier, our monthly budget was tighter than a pair of skinny jeans after Thanksgiving dinner.
To make ends meet, we got creative with our food choices, shared living arrangements with another couple for a while, and gave up trying to save money each month.
Paydays were cause for celebration. It meant the promise of at least a few days of good eating.
We turned to the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program for some food assistance. We prayed that nothing would go wrong with the car. We hoped that the kids wouldn’t outgrow their clothes too quickly. Our bimonthly pilgrimage to the commissary helped us stretch our budget even further.
I’d say it is high time DoD took notice of how many service members are turning to food assistance programs like WIC and SNAP.
We were far from the only ones struggling to make ends meet. We knew countless other young military families doing their best not to resort to a diet of ramen noodles, peanut butter and water.
Which is why a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggesting that the Department of Defense (DoD) has no idea how many service members are turning to public food assistance programs like WIC and SNAP is a bit surprising.
DoD is tracking valid numbers for the military’s FSSA program, but with so few military families utilizing the program, and with the speculation that many service members find shame and embarrassment at the involvement of their chains of command, the program will be calling it quits in September. Fewer than 300 people qualify for FSSA worldwide, according to DoD.
When you consider that a 2015 study suggested that as many as 1 in 4 military families are using some kind of food assistance program to supplement their food budgets, it becomes clear that the data is an important part of understanding our community’s current state of affairs.
Throw in discussions about commissary closures, BAH reductions and cuts to our health care programs and one has to wonder if DoD officials truly understand the day-to-day challenges faced by today’s military families.
The GAO’s report recommended the launch of a joint effort between the USDA and DoD to gather these numbers, and based on my own personal experiences, I’d say it’s about time.
Implications of inadequate food budgets are far-reaching. When military families worry about putting food on the table, mission-readiness suffers. Inadequate nutrition, while a significant concern for children, is also part of a healthy lifestyle for service members and their spouses. What’s more, with the buying power of food dollars fluctuating from duty station to duty station, morale can suffer when nothing more than a PCS takes away a family’s sense of independence and self-reliance.
My husband is fast approaching retirement, but for the entire extent of our military journey, we’ve known young military families challenged by food costs, many of whom have had to turn to food assistance programs or food banks.
Looking back, as a young military spouse, I was too busy trying to keep up with the daily rigors of being a military spouse, mother and employee to stop and think about how wrong it was for members of the best military in the world to have any issues keeping their families fed.
In the end, we were lucky. We managed to weather the storm and now enjoy the luxury of not having to worry about what’s in our pantry or refrigerator.
But not all military families are as lucky as we have been and with this issue being so prevalent, and in light of the fact that it’s been a challenge for our community for as long as I can remember, I’d say it is high time DoD took notice.
As far as whether or not DOD should track food assistance programs is irrelevant; however what I do know is this: there are many retirees in my area who are on fixed incomes and medications that restrict the amount of money they have for food.
I have witnessed many times on going to the commissary, older ones using food assistance cards for their purchases.
Times are hard and will get harder, and the military should take care of its own; particularly the young children and the elderly.
That’s my opinion on the matter.
We used the food assistance program for a year during my husband’s move to Korea. The military stance was they didn’t issue the family. So you had to feed your family on what you were given. The shame of it was I wouldn’t even spend them at the commissary, I would go on the local economy
I agree with all the above but I do not believe it will change anything the rich will get richer and the poor poorer. This is coming from a mother of 3 that had to get out of the military in order to raise her children. I served 6 years from 2000 to 2006.
Having retired from the Marine Corps in 1988 we did a lot to get by. My daughter’s husband did two tours in the sand box with the Corps. It broke my heart when I found out she would spend hours in line at two different areas aboard Camp Pendleton for food donated to the service families aboard the base. She always smiled, “you taught me how to survive, Daddy ,Semper Fi., Gy”. Well they are out now working hard to make a go of it. They always cut from those that earned it such a darn shame, hope this will not happen or the lines will get longer aboard the base.
No military family should need Public Assistance to feed their family. There should be an increase in the allowances provided by DOD to military personnel.
It is shameful that a person who put their lives on the line for us and his/her family has to suffer this way.
We need to act to get DOD to correct this immediately.
AMEN!!! YES YOU ARE SO CORRECT!!!
I am retired Air Force and I saw the writing on the wall in 2009 when I retired. I don’t expect Democrats to stand up for military members and there are some Republicans like Sen. McCain who would like nothing more than to take away more benefits from active duty military families and veterans. As a previous said, it is time for the DOD to take care of their own but don’t tell that to the Democrats who would rather see illegal immigrants eat rather than put food on the table for U.S. military members and veterans who deserve it so much more than illegal immigrants.
Remember the separate rats allowances only covers the active duty sponsor. That servicemember is essentially stretching a food budget intended for one , trying to feed an entire family. Deployment takes away even THAT money and leaves the one at home feeling hungry. The rest of the paycheck goes to rent in most cases, right?
I was active duty first, and later a military spouse. I gained a lot of weight when all I could afford was beans and rice,. I am so thankful for my VA benefits, so that my family is finally able to breathe. I think the idea is to get military members to have less dependents.
The food security measure has played a key role in evaluating the effectiveness of food and nutrition assistance programs and potential modifications to the programs. Food security is currently being used as the key outcome in evaluating five USDA-sponsored