SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — More than 100,000 children in San Diego County struggle to get enough food, and it's even harder for military families, according to nonprofit Feeding San Diego.
The nonprofit's school pantry program is one of many ways it's working to combat food insecurity in our communities.
Hancock Elementary is one of the 40 schools participating in the program, and thousands of pounds of food have been distributed since it began operating.
The school says almost all of its students are from military families, who can face unique challenges putting food on the table.
"Something else that we noted with our families is that there are multiple children in the families, different ages, single-vehicle families. So when someone is a spouse, and their service member is deployed, or they’re off at work, they’re left without a vehicle at home. So even access to the grocery store can be difficult," says Abigail Avila, the community schools coordinator for Hancock Elementary.
According to Feeding San Diego, about 11% of people around the country are food insecure, meaning they don't have enough access to meals to live a healthy life.
But for active duty service members, that number jumps to 24%.
It's a situation Reanna Van Dyke knows all too well, with her husband stationed at a naval base in Texas while groceries get more expensive here at home.
"There’s still the same difficulties of going to work. But as a service member, you leave for months on end, days on end, years on end. You never know. So when we leave, and we don’t have enough resources, it’s difficult," says Van Dyke. "So when we have resources at our disposal, at our school, it’s just another thing less on our plate that we have to worry about."
Hancock Elementary's school pantry opens once every two weeks, helping 150 families get the essentials.
"Feeding San Diego is about feeding kids. If there are kids and there are parents, and they don’t have access to nutritious food, we want to be there to make sure they have access to nutritious food," says Carissa Casares from Feeding San Diego.
It's that type of help that military families like the Van Dykes will never forget.
"It’s just a sense of security. And it just lets us know that even though our service members are looking out for America as a whole, someone’s looking out for us and our families, making sure we’re okay. It just touches your heart," says Van Dyke.
There are still more than a dozen schools on the waitlist for the food pantry program, and Feeding San Diego says it is always looking for donations and volunteers to make it a reality for those in need.
