Tag Archives: pantry

U.S. Hunger Games: ‘Woke’ U.S. Air Force creates Mobile Food Pantry for its Airmen!

30 March 2023 (09:52-UTC-07 Tango 06) 10 Farvardin 1402/08 Ramadan 1444/09 Yi-Mao(2nd month) 4721/30 марта 2023 года

When I first enlisted in the U.S. military, in 1982, I got a whoping $6-hundred per month as an E1!  Today, in 2023, the Defense Financing and Accounting Service reports that an E1 gets paid $1-thousand-917 per month!  And don’t forget the extra pay; basic allowance for subsistence (BAS, aka food), clothing allowance, aviation incentive pay, submarine duty, dive duty, foreign language, hardship duty, hazardous duty, imminent danger pay, exemption from FICA taxes if on active duty for more than 30 days, health professions bonuses, muster duty allowance, ROTC allowance, exempt from paying taxes while in a combat zone!

Did you notice the BAS (food)?  That is correct, the Department of Defense already pays military personnel extra for food (where food is not available on-base, or when living off-base), the BAS rate for enlisted personnel is $452 per month.  But wait, there is more, they have a BAS-2 rate, which is now at $905 per month!  When I got married in the mid-1980s, the most I got from the BAS was $2-hundred, and no USAF supplied food pantries then!

Amazingly, even with extra pay specifically for food, the Department of Defense claims that 24% of active-duty military personnel are food insecure, wow!!!

U.S. Air Force photo, Hurlburt Air Force Base, Florida, 24FEB2023.

So why then has the U.S. Air Force begun its first ever mobile food pantry truck service specifically for its own Airmen?  Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, in sunny Florida, began its Hurlburt Field Mobile Food Pantry service in February 2023.

The USAF is using a food truck operated by an organization called Feeding the Gulf Coast (part of the covert military operation known as Feeding America), volunteers with the Hurlburt Field Mobile Food Pantry say they handed out 5-thousand pounds of food last month.  And apparently it is a once per month event, every fourth Friday of every month, unless it is a holiday.  All Airmen and their families, regardless of rank, will not be turned away: “We’ll put the food in their car, and they can go about their merry way.”-Mauli Patel, volunteer

U.S. Air Force photo, Hurlburt Air Force Base, Florida, 24FEB2023.

The Hurlburt Field Mobile Food Pantry is in addition to the regular brick-n-mortar (in the base chapel) food pantry operations on the base.

Is this proof the United States is in much worse economic shape than officials are admitting to, or, are ‘woke’ military personnel just fat and spoiled?

U.S. Hunger Games, 2023:

BIDEN’S HEALTHCARE FOR FOOD, DON’T THEY ALREADY DO THAT?

U.S. Hunger Games, 2022: AGED INFRASTRUCTURE CUTS OFF WATER SUPPLY TO ARKANSAS SCHOOL/CITY, NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED!

THE MILITARY CHOWS DOWN ON THE REAL HUNGER GAMES!

MILITARY PERSONNEL AS FOOD AID DISTRIBUTORS IS NOW Standard Operating Procedure!

U.S. Hunger Games, 2021: MILITARY FOOD DISTRIBUTION SUCCESS PROVES THE MARKET SYSTEM HAS FAILED!

LOCAL SCHOOLS GETTING FOOD FROM U.S. MILITARY, AND DEMAND IS UP!

Pandemic Hunger Games: SNAP shenanigan states hire Security Guards, while citizens go hungry!

29 January 2023 (18:11-UTC-07 Tango 06) 09 Bahman 1401/07 Rajab 1444/08 Gui-Chou 4721/29 январь 2023 года

Here in Bannock County, Idaho, there has been a run on local food pantries.  I live in Chubbuck, and the local food pantry is located at the Gate City Christian Church (there are several websites listing it as in Pocatello, but it is actually in Chubbuck), and on 27JAN20232 they were swamped.  The food pantry was left with almost no food; no fresh produce, no dairy, almost no frozen meats, almost no bread/pasta.  Their U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) offerings were down to just cans of pumpkin puree and pasta sauce.  Interestingly, at the beginning of the month they changed their hours of operation, in expectation of more people which is exactly what they got.

I did some research to find out what was going on, and apparently there are two major problems taking place involving the USDA SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, originally known as Food Stamps): 1; many states are overwhelmed with SNAP applications, some states as much as four months behind, 2; the extra Pandemic SNAP funding is about to end in February/March (depending on the news source), and some states have already ended the Pandemic funding (like Idaho)!

For those of you who don’t know, each U.S. state handles the federal SNAP program differently, some states have very liberal programs while others are very tight fisted.

There doesn’t seem to be an explanation for the SNAP application backlog, but some states are having no problem spending tax dollars hiring security guards for their Social Services operations.  The fact that the extra Pandemic funding for SNAP is coming to an end indicates the federal government thinks the Pandemic is over.

Here are links to local news reports/videos (tip-o-the-iceberg) about the SNAP shenanigans taking place across the United States:

8 News Now: Thousands of people in sparsely populated Nevada losing SNAP assistance!

9 News: More than half a million Coloradans hit by SNAP cuts!

Anchorage Daily News: 9-hundred SNAP applications from October 2022 still to be counted, not known how many in November and December! Alaska spends tax dollars on security guards to protect Department of Health workers due to threats of violence!  Medicaid is the next domino to fall!

Alaska’s Division of Public Assistance director suddenly quits due to SNAP shenanigans!

Alaska Beacon: Four months long SNAP application backlog results in lawsuit, thousands going hungry!

Axios: SNAP benefits returning to pre-COVID amounts in February

Baltimore Banner: Mother tries to get back nearly $3,000 worth of SNAP benefits that were stolen from her!

Bloomberg: Scammers Rip Off SNAP Benefits

CBS Chicago: 2-million people in Illinois affected by SNAP cuts!

CBS News: Iowa representatives in the U.S. Congress want to ban meat, butter and flour from SNAP, even though nationwide there has been a 14% increase in people on SNAP since the Pandemic began!

Delaware Public Media: The 2018 Farm Bill is about to end, Congress is debating the 2023 Farm Bill, which will directly affect SNAP and non-profits who get federal funding for things like food pantries.

Forbes: SNAP Cuts Begin In March For Emergency Allotment Recipients, 48 states affected

Fox 8 News: Staggering cuts coming to Ohio’s SNAP

Fox News Milwaukee: Extra SNAP benefits that began due to COVID set to end next month in 32 states

Gothamist: New Yorkers sue city over delays to SNAP

Insider NJ: New Jersey sets $50 minimum SNAP limit per household!

KTOO: Alaska government administrators blame lack of social service workers on 2021 cyberattack, however, Alaska State Employees Association Local 52 says SNAP application backlog caused by massive state layoffs that took place before the cyber attack!

Prairie News: As of November 2022,  the USDA said 82% of U.S. citizens are eligible for SNAP; 74% are working poor, and 42% are elderly. In the state of Texas, 75% are eligible, and Texas comes second in the nation with the highest number of households using SNAP, with 1.1 million people. In the city of Amarillo, 9,115 people, or 12.1% of the population, receive food stamp benefits.

Record Courier: Food pantries to be swamped when Ohio ends Pandemic SNAP!

WSLS: Food producer donated 30-thousand pounds of meat to help Southwest Virginia food operations, due to SNAP cuts!

WDTN: Ohio food pantries prep for end to SNAP Pandemic funding.

Yahoo Finance: The following states already ended the Pandemic SNAP funding: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

Santa Fe New Mexican: COVID-19 emergency SNAP benefits to end in March

Hunger Games: BLM FAILED IDAHO IN FAVOR OF GERMAN PHARMA/AG GIANT!

U.S. Food Crisis: “..food shortages….it’s gonna be real.”-Joe Biden. Hell, the people of the U.S. have been struggling with food shortages for more than 2 decades!!! 

Incomplete (tip-o-the iceberg) list of main stream news links announcing United States food supply shutdowns, emergencies, outbreaks and recalls as of 02 April 2022:

Peanut butter recalled due to being contaminated with pieces of steel!

Chocolate eggs recalled due to being contaminated with tree bark!

Salad dressings, salad kits, sauces, noodles and pasta recalled due to being contaminated with plastics!

Pancake mix sold at Walmarts recalled due to contamination with parts from a tool used in the pancake mix production line!

3.74-million bottles of Airborne Gummies vitamins now recalled due to eye injuries?

Time to Drive Out Hunger with the annual Harvest Regional Food Bank Golf Tournament (it’s become, like, a regular thing).

ALASKA:

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher B. Dennis, 10MAR2022.

Is the U.S. Army hording food in Alaska? This is what they call an Intermediate Staging Base for food and fuel, near Fort Greely.

ARIZONA: Industrial farm recalls ‘sweetened’ strawberries for containing a chemical preservative that it forgot to list on the ingredient label!

ARKANSAS: Dollar Tree recalls all products, including food, after discovering more than one thousand rats in their warehouse!

CALIFORNIA: Industrial farm recalls mushrooms sold across the country for being contaminated with disease!

CONNECTICUTT: Fourteen Kiwanis clubs joined forces to package 27-thousand meals for hungry residents!

FLORIDA: 11th Annual Outrun Hunger 5K in Hollywood Beach (11 years and people are still struggling with lack of food).

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Gabriel B. Kotico, 22MAR2022.

During the week of 20-25MAR2022, U.S. Navy sailors assisted the Feeding Tampa Bay event.

GEORGIA:

USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Alec Kramer, 16MAR2022.

USN sailors volunteer to help stock a food pantry in Savannah, 16MAR2022.

USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Zachary D. Behrend, 07MAR2022.

USN sailors volunteer to operate a mobile food pantry in  Saint Mary’s, 07MAR2022.

HAWAII: Homesteadin’ Hawai’i discusses U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Junior’s admission that his sanctions against Russia will cause a food crisis everywhere, including the U.S.:

KANSAS: 27th annual Take a Swing at Hunger golf tournament (27 years of trying to end hunger in the U.S.).

Liberty Fruit company issues recall after government testing found a fruit sample tested positive for Salmonella!

MICHIGAN: Goshen Prepping ranks the supposed official Mormon one year stockpile of food list as a “crazy” fail, as it is heavy on grains and sugars, extremely low on water, and zero meats, fruits or vegetables (grains don’t count as vegetables):

MINNESOTA: 13th annual Empty Bowls food rally in Eagan (13 years and people a re still struggling with food shortage).

MISSOURI: 80s ToyHunter checks her local Walmart for possible food shortage and price increases on 23MAR2022:

NEW HAMPSHIRE: What is ConVal End 68 Hours of Hunger?

NEW JERSEY: Move For Hunger and Altair Global renewed their partnership to fight hunger across the United States.

For the first time in U.S. history, pet foods made by a New Jersey based company are now banned by the FDA for disease ridden dog food!

Somerset County Department of Health warning that school lunch milk is contaminated a peroxyacetic sanitizer, after 25 children were hospitalized!

NEW YORK: 30th annual National Association of Letter Carrier’s #StampOutHunger Food Drive (30 years of trying to end hunger in the U.S.).

Fruit & veg sold at local grocery chain recalled to being contaminated with disease!

NYC-ers are urged to prep for Biden’s Russia sanctions caused food crisis:

SOUTH CAROLINA: South Carolina Retailers Association donates a paltry $120-thousand to help feed hungry people.

TENNESSEE: Nonprofit Hunger First gets evicted by Kingsport Housing & Redevelopment Authority, has list of police recorded complaints that number in the thousands over the past five years.

VIRGINIA: Doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU said they’re seeing between 18% and 20% of patients who are facing food insufficiency!

Perhaps the increase in people going to the children’s hospital for malnutrition is because for the past two years the Arlington Food Assistance Center halted their food operations, supposedly to protect people from The Pandemic!

Washington DC: Senators use Biden’s Russia sanctions caused food crisis to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture to relax regulations governing the agricultural industry.

U.S. Food Crisis, June 2021:  “EXPONENTIALLY BIGGER”, “GHOSTS IN THE LAND.”

Food Crisis, March 2019: “NOBODY HAS ANY MONEY”