Military Familes Facing Challenges
Jasmine Wheeler has her hands full. With two toddlers and a husband currently stationed in Korea, this young military wife and mother is doing her best to keep the home fires burning. But she has another challenge that might surprise you.
Jasmine visits a food bank three to four times a month to keep food on the table for her young family.
“It’s expensive. Especially with grocery prices going higher up. It’s definitely frustrating”, says Jasmine. “We have car loans we have to pay, we have car insurance, phone bills, internet, and all of these things you have to maintain in the army.”
Believe it or not, Jasmine and her family are not alone. Every year, nearly 40,000 military members in Western Washington rely on food banks to feed themselves and their families.
Just a few blocks away from the Wheeler’s home on Joint Base Fort Lewis McChord, the Tarrant family is struggling to feed their family of seven. Desiree Tarrant and her husband barely made ends meet before the pandemic, and since then, inflation has taken a toll.
“Our food budget went from $350 a paycheck to $500 a paycheck”, says Desiree. “So, we’re spending a thousand dollars on food. A month.”
She says the food bank helps close the food gap every month.
“We were living paycheck to, like, day three. So, now we’re making from paycheck to the next actual paycheck. So at least we’re surviving until the next paycheck, though.”
Elouise’s Cooking Pot is a sprawling food bank that takes up the better part of two city blocks in one of Tacoma’s commercial districts. Every day, guests form a long outside the operation, while Door Dash and Instacart drivers jockey for a spot to pick up food for deliveries. Executive Director Ahndrea Blue is in the eye of the hurricane, making sure everyone gets the food they need to thrive. Blue says the military food crisis shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Food insecurity is a huge problem for everyone”, Says Blue. “I think the thing that shocks people most, is that we have people who serve our country, and we assume that they are taken care of. And they’re not. They have the same issues that everyone else that’s experiencing food insecurity have.
But even military veterans like Hector Rolon-Hernandez find it surprising. Hector loads his cargo van and makes deliveries on base to 350-400 military families every week.
“It was kind of a shock to me. I didn’t see why military personnel would need help like that”.
Food Lifeline is working with Eloise’s Cooking Pot to make sure they continue to receive the critical foods they need to serve military families. We’re also working with state and local representatives to change policies that create barriers for these families. Until then, Jasmine Wheeler and others are keeping the faith.
“I just hope we get to a point in his army career where we’re not struggling to pay our bills. As well as feed ourselves and our children.”