In today’s world, we have entirely too many veterans (men and women), who gave up the comfort of their lives and their families to serve this great country.
Nevertheless, to return home bewildered and most of all, “HUNGRY.” While the United States ships tons of food to foreign countries, it is considered as a form of humanitarian aid. Yet, many of our veterans and their families right here in the United States go without food and forced to seek food by any means necessary. It is time we Veterans take and make our own stance. We want to ensure our fellow comrades will no longer be forced to beg any person and or agency for food for themselves or their families. No veteran should be forced to choose between food or medicine. NO Veteran or veterans’ family should endure another foodless day.
Even without a pandemic, food insecurity is a real issue. In the USDA-ERS’s recent study, food insecurity was 22.5 percent higher among disabled working age veterans than the average for all working-age. A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis looked at data between 2015 and 2019 and found that 11.1 percent of working age veterans lived in food insecure households, and 5.3 percent lived in households with extremely low food security, meaning at least some people in the household were missing meals or eating. IMPAQ International also reported that veterans with serious mental illness were 10 times more likely to face food insecurity. Understandably, veterans experience great difficulty adapting back to civilian life when they return overseas, especially those who do not have any support system from their family or friends. There are 22.5 million veterans in the United States, many above the retirement age and more than 1.4 million of them are living in poverty.
“The Texas Veterans Food Bank Foundation” is being established as an advocate to end veterans’ hunger, serving as our own means of humanitarian aid. Our mission and goal is to ensure that veterans, from all branches of service, do not have to struggle to provide food for themselves or their families.
For every fellow veteran that suffers needlessly from hunger, just remember “That could have been you” hungry and or homeless.
Nonperishable food donations are needed! Webpage under construction
“ WE CANNOT LET OUR VETERANS GO ANOTHER DAY HUNGRY ”
Sheryll A Jones, U.S. Army Veteran, CEO
Texas Veterans Food Bank Foundation