Hungry soldiers: 1 in 6 military families report being food insecure

As part of a nationwide effort to alleviate hunger among active military and veterans, around 800 military families near Fort Bragg received food this weekend as part of a drive-thru event at Manna Church in Fayetteville.

"The Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) has once again taken a stand against hunger by hosting a food distribution," wrote the organization in a release.

Each household of active duty, National Guard, Reserve and veteran families received around 50 pounds of nutritious food –– including protein, seasonal produce, breakfast items, canned goods and more, according to MFAN.

All of it was at no cost to the families.

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“This time of year is difficult for military families, who often move during the summer months,” said Shannon Razsadin, MFAN’s president and executive director. “We are honored to be here, to not only provide food, but also a warm welcome to those who are getting to know their new hometown.”

This event is the fourth of its kind held in Fayetteville since June 2021.

At least 1 in 6 military family respondents reported being food insecure in MFAN's national survey.

This is an improvement on the 1 in 5 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but worse than the 1 in 8 in 2019.

"The campaign provides food support and connects families to community resources, brings together industry leaders to develop long-term solutions, and conducts research to understand and ultimately address this systemic issue," wrote MFAN.

The food was distributed the weekend of the 9/11 remembrance, a time for honoring post 9/11 veterans and those who continue to serve.

“Our service members and their families have enough challenges to worry about right now and putting food on the table should not be one of them,” said Congressman Richard Hudson, the congressman for the district including Fort Bragg.

An active duty Army spouse echoed the need for these resources, saying, “We recently PCSed here and our stuff took months to arrive. Most of it broken or lost. We don’t qualify for help because of my husband’s rank and I stay at home to help my special needs child. This has been a great blessing for us."