It’s not something most of us think about. But one in five military and veteran families experiences food insecurity, according to research done by the Military Family Advisory Network.
One way we help is by sending our Mobile Market to local veteran centers and Fairchild Air Force Base. The “we” in this case includes food donors, fund donors and especially volunteers. A cohort that consistently volunteers at our Fairchild events is a wonderful group of military veterans who are also in the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization They are all friends of Andy Castor, one of our super volunteers who regularly works at Second Harvest four days a week, often arriving by 7 a.m.
On Oct. 23, with the additional help of several military spouses, we handed nearly 250 families each about 35 pounds of food, including fresh apples and potatoes, other produce, frozen potatoes, healthy cereal, milk and more.
Seemingly every person who went through the line gave us a hearty “Thank you.” And we replied, “You’re welcome, but thanks to your service, we’re getting the better end of this deal.”
Before our Mobile Market trucks can hit the road, you can help to prep the bounty of fresh produce that’s donated to Second Harvest. Click here to find great volunteer opportunities in Pasco and Spokane, then have some fun!
