HAMILTON, Ohio — Having to choose between food in the pantry and medications or other household items for daily living is an all-too-common challenge in the U.S. and in the Tri-State area for some military families.
“Our military and veteran families are actually experiencing food insecurity at a rate of one and four. So, that means one in four families, when they're going to the grocery store, they're making some really tough decisions on, you know, what they're able to buy, whether it's household supplies versus food,” said Geri Maples, chapter director of Blue Star Families of Dayton and Southwestern Ohio.
She said she knows it’s a serious concern for those who don’t have ties to the military, however, all too often those currently serving and those who have served find themselves on supplemental programs due to the lower income many have to work with on a daily basis.
“Our active duty families, and even our veteran families are even using programs such as WIC and SNAP, and things like that, at pretty significant rates,” Maples said.
According to the latest US Census data 1.2 million low-income veterans use SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, to be able to fill their pantries with the food they need.
For Maples, this issue is personal having experienced it while her husband worked in the National Guard, and she was a military spouse holding down the homestead.
“I remember calling my mom and saying 'hey, can you help me buy baby formula, diapers?,' because we were facing under employment in our own family,” Maples said.
That’s why as the executive director of Blue Star Families of Dayton and Southwestern Ohio she’s made food insecurity one of the top priorities.
“We do this across our chapters, all year long. Across the country, we partner with our friends at the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. We just did this last week up at Wright Patt Air Force Base,” she said. “So, I reached out to Shared Harvest Food Bank on to see if they wanted to team up with us down here in the southern part of the chapter."
On Saturday, Oct, 14, the duo will provide a food distribution line for military families. Maples says the first 50 people in line will also receive a 5-gallon Home Depot bucket filled with household cleaning supplies.
The event starts at 10 a.m. and runs until noon at the Butler County Fairgrounds.
To speed up the process you can pre-register by following this link.
You can also read more about Blue Star Families mission and their available resources over on theirwebsite.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
