The Armed Services YMCA opened an expanded food pantry on Camp Pendleton this week to address the growing needs of military families experiencing food insecurity.
The pantry offers fresh produce, dry foods and other household necessities, the ASYMCA said.
Samantha Holt is the executive director of the ASYMCA on the base. She thanked a small gathering of Marines, donors and volunteers during the pantry's re-opening Wednesday.
"Together, we are strengthening military families and ensuring no one in our community goes without," she said.
Shannon Razsadin is the CEO of the Military Family Advisory Network, a nonprofit that studies quality of life issues in the military. She told KPBS 1 in 4 military families experience food insecurity.
"It's important to remember that the military is a microcosm of the broader population," Razsadin said.
Inflation and the high cost of living affect military families like any other. Often, Razsadin said, military families are more susceptible to economic stressors because frequent moves make it difficult for spouses to build careers.
"We see the highest frequency of food insecurity among military families who are junior to middle enlisted and who have multiple children," Razsadin said. "And those are the families who we see struggling the most right now."
Over the years Congress has tried to address these issues via pay increases, cost-of-living adjustments and more funding for child care. This year, troops E-4 and below received a 10% bump in basic pay.
Cpl. Jacquelyn Hernandez, 23, is the single mother of four. She said that helps, but it's still difficult to make ends meet.
"The financial struggles are still there — especially when you have a big family," Hernandez said. "And God blessed me with four beautiful children ... but it has definitely been a hardship on me."
Hernandez said the ASYMCA has been a big help but that some Marines hesitate to ask for help.
"I feel like a lot of people are just ashamed to ever ask for help when they need it," she said. "Like, we all struggle financially ... especially maintaining little kids or a family."
Razsadin said it's common for food banks and other organizations to set up pantries on or near military bases.
"One of the things that we've seen over the course of the last several years is it's getting easier for people to ask for support, and that's a good thing," Razsadin said.
More information on the Camp Pendleton ASYMCA is available on their website.
