Confronting Veteran Hunger

For nearly a decade, MAZON has been confronting the painful reality of food insecurity among veterans — urging policymakers to understand the unique needs and barriers to food security facing the men and women who served our country. Those who served in the U.S. military should not struggle to feed themselves and their families.

By the numbers:
1.3 million veterans

rely on SNAP, but we know that many veterans struggle without the assistance they need.

27% of veterans

of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle to put food on the table — this is more than double the national rate.

More than 1 in 4

female veterans struggle with hunger.

67% of student veterans

report being food insecure.

1/3

of veteran job seekers are underemployed — which is 15.6% higher than non-veteran job seekers.

This is Hunger
Stories
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“Eating better has really changed my life. I used to be on about eight medications. Now I'm only taking two pills.”

Joe, Montana

“We were one of those couples that purchased the house we could afford...”

Emery, Mississippi

“Feeding my young grandson properly is the priority, so I have to find things that I know fill me up.”

Judith, Arizona

“I'm very proud to be a veteran, but to have protected freedom overseas and then come back home to struggle myself is very disheartening.”

Mark, Kentucky
Take Action

Urge the Administration: Expand SNAP Access for Veterans

Urge the Biden-Harris Administration to protect and strengthen SNAP and other federal programs that provide vital nutrition assistance to millions of Americans including veterans.

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During Year-End Holidays, Comcast Partners with Advocates to Spotlight Veteran Hunger

Ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the media and technology leader Comcast has donated airtime to run a public service announcement in media markets across the country to raise awareness about food insecurity among America’s veterans. The 30-second ad — produced by leading anti-hunger and veterans and military family advocates MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, PsychArmor, and Combined Arms — is part of a campaign to End Veteran Hunger, aiming to provide veterans and those who serve veteran communities with resources to access food assistance. Read more.

Veterans Who Are Food Insecure Are Less Likely to Seek Help Than Civilians (The War Horse)

Income guidelines for determining food assistance eligibility also hit the active-duty military population. Service members receive a basic allowance for housing—a nontaxable entitlement to offset housing costs. Though many federal programs don’t consider this income, SNAP does. Josh Protas, vice president of public policy at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a nonprofit working to end food insecurity, says that pushes many low-income, junior enlisted service members with kids out of eligibility.

Read more.

MAZON VP of Public Policy Testifies on Hunger Facing Veterans and Military Families before House Veterans’ Affairs Committee

Issues like hunger, housing, and healthcare must be considered holistically — not in a piecemeal fashion, Josh Protas, MAZON's Vice President of Public Policy, told lawmakers before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Read more.

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