Hunger impacts veterans and military families every day
No one who served this country should struggle to feed their family. But that's the reality for many veterans, active-duty service members, and military families. 1 in 9 working-age veterans lived in food-insecure households, and 1 in 4 active-duty service members was food insecure in 2020.
Veterans and food insecurity
- Female veterans
- Veterans with disabilities
- Unemployed veterans
- Low wages and unemployment
- Lack of affordable housing
- Mental health issues like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
- Service-related disabilities
- Systemic racism, sexism, and discrimination
- According to the Census, 1.2 million low-income veterans use SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) to make groceries more affordable.
- More veterans are eligible for SNAP but don't participate because they don't know they're qualified or are ashamed of needing help.
Hunger and military families
- Lower salaries at lower ranks
- High unemployment rates for military spouses
- High cost of living near military bases
- The housing allowance many military families receive to help make housing more affordable is considered income. Unfortunately, this additional income disqualifies many families from federal food assistance programs.