FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Many of the country's service members and their families struggle with food insecurity, dealing with the stress of wondering where their next meal will come from.
These struggles will get even worse if the government shuts down.
More than 50,000 active-duty service members, contractors and their families work or live on Fort Cavazos. Many of them may soon face food insecurity, and this is something that Operation Phantom Support is trying to help with.
”The biggest thing we have is a food pantry that runs every Saturday, four times a month,” said CEO of Operation Phantom Support, John Valentine.
“That will help families out a lot, because they will be able to come here each week to get food and make sure they have enough food for their families.”
This is a struggle that Linda Valentine knows all too well, having been a military spouse and mother for decades.
”One of the biggest things that impacts the military is their food insecurity,” said John Valentine's mother, and CEO of OPS, Linda Valentine.
“We didn’t call it that 40 years ago, but we lived from paycheck to paycheck, and you were in the commissary with a pencil and a pen — trying to figure out how much you can spend on your groceries.”
The Valentines had money coming in then. Now, her heart is breaking thinking of all the military families that might suffer because their income could stop if the government shuts down.
”Your phone bill, your electric bill, gas bill, your gas to get back and forth to work — all that comes out of your budget, out of your monthly check,” Linda Valentine said.
“I don’t know where people are going to get this or who’s going to allow them to continue on without paying.”
OPS is shifting money from most of their program to keep the food pantry open during this time, but even they will suffer financially, because they rely on donations from service members to operate.
”We as soldiers and veterans are all chipping in to help each other’s families, but of all of a sudden, our income goes away — we can’t chip in anymore,” John Valentine said.
“We're going to need organizations and businesses to step up and help us.”
These donations will help them help other military families in need.
This is a cause Linda Valentine holds dear, and that’s why she has a message to families like hers.
”I just want everybody to know that Operation Phantom Support is here, and we are planning to help every military family that comes our way,” Linda Valentine said.
Operation Phantom Support is doing all they can to help.
Anyone needing assistance can also reach out to local veteran organizations like the VFW.
