Did you know that military families are struggling to get by, even with the help of food stamps? These food stamps are being spent on the bare necessities needed to survive. These necessities consist of milk, cheese, meat, and bread. Also, did you know that the salary of a new soldier with a spouse and one child is only $20,000? This is just above the poverty line and they are expected to get by with this amount of money. How does this compare to the sacrifices that these brave and dedicated people make for our country’s sake?
In 2013 alone, Operation Home Front answered 2,968 emergency calls for food help alone. The amount of people who requested food assistance was more than the amount of people who requested help for all of the other services that the program had to offer. However, the number of requests is far less than what it was in 2011, but it is still three times the amount of requests received in 2008. Food stamps have been a political “hot topic” in Washington (and across our nation) because the soaring demand for food stamps has reached the highest amount ever recorded. Congress debated how to make the demand decrease by simply cutting the amount of benefits included in food stamps. The cut deducted $11.00 from $134.00 dedicated to providing food for the needy. The people affected were 47 million Americans, which included children, seniors, as well as active-duty military families. Many people might be surprised to hear that half of the 47 million people who receive food stamps are children and another quarter are the elderly.
I’ve included this picture of me at Whole Foods Market to remind us how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads and food on our tables without having to worry about missing a meal. It’s easy to take it for granted that I can go food shopping with my parents any time. So please remember that you are lucky enough to be able to eat without worry and that these families have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Your Neighbor,
Jake
P.S: To read more about the Military Families and food stamps, please visit http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/17/news/economy/military-food-stamps/index.html
