WHY ARE
MILITARY
FAMILIES
ON FOOD
STAMPS?
Some of America’s bravest
are going hungry. Why aren’t
we doing more to help them?
By Cynthia McFadden, Christine Romo,
and Kenzi Abou-Sabe
from nbc news
Photographs by John Francis Peters
NATIONAL INTEREST
Desirée
Mieir
Desirée had no
idea how finan-
cially stressful
being married to
a service member
would be. “When
the twins were
born, there were
times we would
make pasta for a
couple of dollars
and stretch that
out for half the
week. Then we’d
think of some
other simple dish
to last the rest of
the week.” The
family isn’t eligible
for food stamps,
so the food pantry
Desirée frequents
is a lifesaver.
76 april 2020 | rd.com