SAN DIEGO (KGTV): A program in San Diego is making it easier for military families and veterans to get the help they need to fight food insecurity.
Courage 2 Call offers food giveaways twice a month to anyone with a military ID or any veteran.
"We don’t have any criteria for them to go through the line," says program coordinator Angela Nagel. "They just have had to serve. We don’t look at status. We don’t look at discharge status. We don’t look at income. If you have a VA card, if you have a military id, come to courage to call we will get you set up with the resources in San Diego."
The program focuses on giving out fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as other pantry staples. Nagel says, at any given event, they'll serve up to 200 people.
"It breaks my heart to know that these military families have to go through our lines to get food," says Nagel. "I know for active duty it is a struggle to live in San Diego because of how expensive it is here. For active duty, they should not have to be going through these lines, but they do."
Food insecurity has been called a "hidden epidemic" in the military. The San Diego Hunger Coalition says that 1 in 10 people who go to food banks have a military member in their family. The Coalition says low wages for enlisted members make it difficult to keep food on the table.
Courage 2 Call is one of several military-focused programs that receive food from Feeding San Diego. Many do giveaways on bases or in military housing communities.
In addition to the food, the programs help connect military members and veterans to other social services and resources they have available.
To find out more information, you can go to the Courage 2 Call website here.
To help, be sure to donate to the Month of a Million Meals campaign from 10News. Every dollar donated helps pay for 4 meals for families in need.
