'Real panic': Military families in 'full-blown crisis' over being unable to afford food
s the government shutdown drags into its 37th day, many military families are struggling with hunger and food insecurity. One nonprofit organization is scrambling to make sure military spouses and their children can still have enough to eat while their spouses are deployed.
On Thursday, CNN host Brianna Keilar reported that even before the shutdown began on October 1, military families had long been feeling squeezed when it came to having enough to eat. But after the shutdown, food insecurity became a "full-blown crisis" for thousands of military families. Shannon Razadin, who is the CEO of the Military Family Advisory Network, told Keilar that she received approximately 50,000 requests for help with buying groceries in less than three days."
A lot of military families are really living paycheck to paycheck. And so this need is incredible," Razadin said. "... And the stories that we're hearing from families are frankly heartbreaking."
When Keilar asked for details of some of the stories of hardship military families are enduring, Razadin said some of the families she served talked about having to put things back at the checkout counter, telling their kids they'll have to go without snacks and service members deployed overseas anxious about making sure their families back home will still be able to eat in their absence.
"It's real panic, and it's something that we could not sit with as an organization," Razadin said. "And so we're leaning in and doing everything we. Possibly can. But simply put, we can't do it without the funding to meet this need. And the need is vast."
When Keilar noted that military personnel have still been paid during the shutdown, Razadin corrected her, saying that many National Guard and Reserve service members have not been paid over the past 37 days. She added that those servicemen and women have been "feeling the pinch" as the shutdown drags on, and that her organization has been focused on prioritizing families who are in the most dire need.
"We as an organization are leaning into the moment because these military families, they cannot wait for the policy change. Right now, they need groceries," she said. "And so we're doing everything that we can to meet this moment. And if people want to get involved and donate, they can go to CombatMilitaryHunger.org. And every dollar in is groceries directly to military families."