![]() Mass shootings and violence leave dead and injured across the US this weekend The organization had been hosting events like this for more than 10 years, but when the pandemic struck, expanded operations from six sites to 11 around the country and doubled the frequency of the San Diego-area events. Pittman was one of 320 families participating in the Armed Services YMCA’s late October drive-thru food distribution. For a while, the couple considered sleeping in their car on the base grounds until the next paycheck. Their savings quickly disappeared and the small income she earns from dog-sitting didn’t come close to covering the shortfall. “We still had student loans and everything on top of everything else.” “We had a nice savings built up and then we moved out here and it was rough,” she said. For Brooklyn Pittman, whose husband, Matthew, is in the Navy, the move to California from West Virginia this year was a financial shock. San Diego may be one of the epicenters of the phenomenon, with high housing costs and multiple military bases within driving distance. Perhaps the best indication of how entrenched the problem has become is that a robust network of military-adjacent charitable organizations such as the Armed Services YMCA and Blue Star Families has developed an infrastructure of food banks near most major domestic bases. “They were getting ready to turn off his electricity because he couldn’t pay his bills,” she said. She recalls being a young officer in Texas when she was approached by a new private with a baby. Louis and an Army veteran, said the problem cuts across all branches of the military. Meredith Knopp, CEO of a food bank in St. If you’re worried about whether or not your kid gets dinner tonight?” How can you focus on carrying out the mission and defending our democracy. “We’re the mightiest military on the face of the earth and yet those who are on the lower rung of our military ranks are - if they are married and have a child or two- they’re hungry. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and former Blackhawk pilot who lost both legs in a helicopter crash in Iraq. ![]() ![]() ![]() “It’s one of these things that the American people don’t know about, but it’s a matter of course among military members. The problem is exacerbated by an obscure Agriculture Department rule that prevents thousands of needy military families from accessing the SNAP government assistance program, commonly known as food stamps. ![]() Also, the internal military culture of self-sufficiency leaves many reluctant to speak about their difficulties, for fear they will be regarded as irresponsible. In addition to modest pay for junior enlisted ranks, the frequent moves inherent to military life make it difficult for military spouses to find steady work. “You know what you’re signing up for in the military,” he said, after emerging from a drive-thru food distribution organized by the local Armed Services YMCA branch. “It is what it is,” said James Bohannon, 34, a Naval E4 (petty officer third class) in San Diego who relies on food assistance to keep his two daughters fed. The group estimates that 29% of troops in the most junior enlisted ranks faced food insecurity during the previous year. ![]()
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