The Hidden Hunger in Our Ranks: Why Military Families Are Lining Up at Food Pantries

Food insecurity inside the United States military is not a fringe issue. It is a documented, measurable, and growing reality.

Approximately 25.8% of active-duty service members experience some level of food insecurity, with junior and mid-grade enlisted families disproportionately affected. Today, an estimated 22,000 active-duty families, 213,000 National Guard and Reserve members, and 1.2 million veterans rely on federal food assistance. On many installations, food pantries now operate specifically to support junior enlisted families.

That fact alone should stop us.

Behind these statistics are families—not abstractions. Spouses stretch each paycheck to cover rent, gas, childcare, and groceries. Children quietly accept smaller portions. Service members carry the additional burden of financial strain while remaining mission-ready. They stand watch, deploy, train, and defend the nation—while worrying about what’s in the refrigerator at home.

When We Saw It Up Close

In 2022, the San Dimas Rotary Club was approached by the Diamond Bar Woman’s Club, which operated a military outreach effort called Making Spirits Bright, providing Christmas gifts to junior enlisted families.

That same year, Rotary members visited the Marine Air Ground Combat Center (MAGCC) at Twentynine Palms. There, we met with representatives of the Armed Services YMCA, which operates a food pantry on base. It was in that conversation—standing in the high desert—that the scope of the problem became real.

This wasn’t theoretical. It was immediate.

Young Marine families were walking into a pantry on base because their pay, after housing, childcare, and the cost of relocation, simply wasn’t enough.

From One Food Drive to a Lasting Mission

In March 2023, we organized a major food drive. The response was strong. The need was stronger.

We quickly realized that a single event would not solve a structural problem. What was required was permanence.

In response, we formed the Satellite Rotary Club of Military Family Support, a sole-purpose Rotary club dedicated entirely to supporting active-duty, Reserve, and veteran families. We also established the San Dimas Rotary Foundation, a 501(c)(3), to provide the charitable framework necessary for growth and accountability.

As regional partnerships expanded, we created Feeding Military Families as a DBA under the Foundation, supervised by the Satellite Club.

What began as a community response became an organized mission.

Where the Help Has Gone

Since launching Feeding Military Families, we have collected and distributed more than forty (40) tons of food and household supplies to military communities across California, including:

• Marine Air Ground Combat Center (29 Palms)

• Camp Pendleton

• Fort Irwin

• Los Angeles Air Force Base

• Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach

Each installation presents different challenges.

Fort Irwin sits in a remote high-desert region with limited surrounding infrastructure. Families there face isolation and restricted access to affordable off-base resources.

Twentynine Palms serves thousands of Marines and families in similarly remote conditions.

Camp Pendleton supports one of the largest concentrations of Marines in the country.

Los Angeles Air Force Base and Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach represent urban military communities where high housing costs place extraordinary pressure on junior enlisted families.

In every location, the story is consistent: strong families under strain.

Hunger Is Only Part of the Story

Through the integration of Making Spirits Bright, our mission expanded beyond food alone.

Last December, in addition to supporting families at Camp Pendleton and MAGCC Twentynine Palms, we extended significant assistance to Fort Irwin. There, we delivered:

• Hundreds of toys

• More than 70 bicycles

• $7,000 in direct financial relief through gift cards

For families stationed in one of the most isolated installations in California, the holidays became a season of celebration—not stress.

Because food insecurity is not only about calories. It is about morale. It is about stability. It is about ensuring that when a service member trains, deploys, or stands duty, they are not distracted by worry at home.

Readiness Begins at Home

Military readiness does not start on the battlefield. It begins in the kitchen.

If a service member is worrying about groceries, unpaid bills, or whether their spouse can find employment after yet another relocation, readiness is compromised.

Addressing food insecurity strengthens:

• Family stability

• Mental health

• Morale

• Retention

• Community trust

This is not charity alone. It is an investment in readiness.

The Hidden Hunger

Military culture values self-reliance. Pride runs deep. Asking for help can feel like failure. That stigma is one reason many families struggle quietly.

But the food pantries on base tell the truth.
The federal assistance numbers tell the truth.
The young Marine couple with two children tells the truth.

The hunger is real.

The question is whether we choose to see it.

Join Us – March 14, 2026

The solution is not complicated. It is community.

Feeding Military Families – March Food Drive 🇺🇸
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: TBA
Website: www.feedingmilitaryfamilies.org

Join us as we collect food and essential supplies for military families in need.

Every month, thousands of active-duty service members, veterans, and National Guard families struggle with food insecurity. Since 2022, you have helped us collect and distribute over 40 tons of food and supplies to military families at 29 Palms, Camp Pendleton, Fort Irwin, Los Angeles Air Force Base, and Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach.

This March, we are back with another major Food Drive—and we need your help.

What to Bring:

• Non-perishable food items

• Hygiene and toiletry products

• Baby and household essentials

Whether you donate a bag of groceries, volunteer your time, or simply help spread the word, your support matters.

➡️ Visit www.feedingmilitaryfamilies.org and click on “Events” for full details and volunteer information.

Please share this event. Together, we can ensure no military family goes hungry.

Let’s serve those who serve us.

#FeedingMilitaryFamilies #FoodDrive #SupportOurTroops #MilitaryFamilies

Innovative Solutions for Veterans

On May 15, 2024, at 1800 hours, Jason Wise, a US Army Veteran and the current Marketing Director for Combined Arms, will be delivering a presentation on Innovative Solutions for Veterans to the Satellite Rotary Club of Military Family Support.

Founded in Houston, TX, Combined Arms (CAX) is a veteran-founded organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for veterans and military families. Through innovative technology solutions, CAX facilitates connections between service members, veterans, their families, and the organizations that serve them. With a robust technology platform, clients can easily access resources and connect directly with service providers to receive the assistance they need to thrive personally and professionally. To date, CAX has positively impacted over 55,000 veterans and military-connected individuals by connecting them to more than 1,000 social services and resources offered by their extensive network of 220+ vetted Member Organizations.

For access to the Zoom link, please email SanDimasRotary@gmail.com.

ONE TEAM. ONE FIGHT. ONE MISSION. Veterans Supporting Military Families

Carter Asks County Execs to Find New Ways to Work with Service Members, Vets

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2015 – As the nation’s military adapts new strategies and personnel policies, Defense Secretary Ash Carter today asked counties and communities across America to consider new ways to provide service to troops and veterans.

Carter told the National Association of Counties conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, that as strategies change to keep America safe, personnel policies will change, too. Counties, cities and towns across America will be affected, he said.

“Our men and women don’t come from the Pentagon,” the defense secretary said. “They come from your communities. We recruit from your communities. Our service members and their families live in your communities while they’re serving, including our Guardsmen and reservists. And when they leave military service, they are, once again, in your communities.”

This is happening at a time when fewer Americans have a personal connection to the military, Carter said. From World War II to the advent of the all-volunteer force in 1973, three out of four Americans had a personal connection to the military. That number is now one in three and is likely to go down. Put another way, at the end of World War II, 10 percent of Americans were in the military. Today it is around 1 percent.

Department Seeks Talent

America’s military today is the “finest fighting force the world has ever seen,” he said. People are at the heart of that and attracting the right mix of people moving forward is key to military preeminence in the future.

Attracting and retaining men and women with high-demand talents and high-level skills means moving away from an Industrial Age recruiting and retention model, the defense secretary said.

“To attract and compete for talent in these new generations, we’re trying to build what I call the Force of the Future. We’re pushing to be attractive to this new generation,” Carter said. The military needs to be more geographically diverse, he said. There has to be “more on-ramps and off-ramps to give our people more choices” as DoD brings the personnel system into the 21st century.

“We’re drilling tunnels through the walls that too often separate government and the private sector particularly in scientific and commercial technology areas,” he said. “Because we need America’s brightest minds to contribute to our mission.”

DoD, Community Health Tied to Education

These changes will affect communities across the country, the defense secretary said. He noted that community schools are the wellsprings for future scientists and technology professionals and he urged members of the association to continue the recent emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math programs.

The bottom line is that counties and local communities “are the source of the American military’s enduring strength, because you provide our men and women in uniform the preparation, the care and the purpose they need to defend our country,” he said.

And when their military service is over, they will return to their communities. But even that will change, Carter said.

“Transition out of the military will look different than it did 70 years ago, or, for that matter, 10 years ago,” he said. “It’ll mean that in the future, some might only serve for a time, while others may spend 25 years moving back and forth between national service and other opportunities.”

Service members and their families may spend more time in communities without having to move around as often as they do now, Carter said.

Support Troops by Knowing Them

Each community is different, as are the foundations of preparation, care and purpose, the defense secretary said.

“People from urban areas and rural areas may have different ideas of what their community should look like,” he said. “Still, in a future where each community’s foundation should be different … there should be some elements that they have in common.

“For example, let’s make a future where more Americans nationwide strive not only to support our troops, but to know our troops. Let’s make a future where this is a two-way street where both military and civilian communities contribute to each other,” Carter said.

Embracing service members, veterans and their families also makes good sense for local jurisdictions, he said. When veterans come into communities, “empower them with opportunities to continue leading lives of meaning and purpose,” he told the conference-goers.

“To be clear, they aren’t looking for handouts,” Carter said.

Veterans are 20 percent more likely to give to charities, volunteer 30 percent more hours per year and are three times more likely to join a service or civic organization, the defense secretary said.

“The 9/11 generation volunteered to serve in a time of war, and they have a strong desire to continue making a difference in the world,” he said. “All it takes is finding the right opportunity.”

AF Vietnam veterans honored on Capitol Hill

By Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie , Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published July 09, 2015

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Current and former service members, members of Congress, Vietnam veterans and Air Force senior leaders gathered in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington July 8 for a Congressional Commemoration to honor those who served during the Vietnam War.

The ceremony was part of the 50th Vietnam War Commemorative Partner Program, which is a multiyear campaign to thank and honor the veterans of the Vietnam War for their sacrifice and service and to pay tribute to the contributions of their families. Two Air Force veterans were among the 10 recognized in honor of their friends and comrades of war.

“It was a privilege to be present for the pinning of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War lapel pin on Colonel William Driggers Jr. and Colonel Michael Brazelton in honor of all of those who served during Vietnam,” said Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer. “Like many great Americans who served during Vietnam, you will find it was not about them, it was about service to their country and their friends who didn’t make it back. I was proud to help recognize these heroes.”

Driggers served 26 years in the Air Force, earning the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, as well as three bronze stars, and many other awards and medals. He completed 337 combat missions in Southwest Asia and 714 combat hours in the F-4 Phantom II as an aircraft commander.

During this 50th anniversary event, Driggers spoke of his comrades who could not be in attendance for this occasion.

“As I thought about this 50th anniversary event, I wrote down 43 names of my friends and comrades, who didn’t make it home,” Driggers said. “This is a time for me to honor those men, their memories and accomplishments.”

Standing by Driggers’ side was Brazelton.

Brazelton was one of the most decorated pilots of the Vietnam War. He volunteered for duty in Southwest Asia to gain more flight experience and return home with enough hours to apply for test pilot school. On Aug. 7, 1966, Brazelton was shot down in his F-105 Thunderchief and was captured by the North Vietnamese and become a prisoner of war.

According to Brazelton, Vietnam veterans should be proud and honored to be received in such a way as this ceremony.

“I have had a number of medals pinned on me in my day and this is certainly the highest ranking and the most honors I have received for any pinning ceremony,” Brazelton said. “Even though it might just be a lapel pin to a lot of people, this is like a medal to the Vietnam veterans.”

Brazelton wants to ensure America remembers and never forgets the sacrifices of these American heroes.

“Remember the Vietnam veterans, especially those who are still suffering from their wounds even after 50 years.”