(NDAA) that was supposed to increase pay to those suffering from food insecurity in the military. However, the RAND report states, the eligibility requirements for this program are so narrow that only 1,135 service members will be receiving it. Jacobs says she pushed for an amendment that would have increased the number of recipients—but the motion failed. “The current BNA path appears to still have far to go,” says Tony Stewart, cofounder of the San Diego nonprofit Us4Warriors Foundation and a former Navy administrator. “Progress takes a long time, and military families deserve more timely and effective pathways to eradicate food insecurity,” he says. The DoD is also increasing the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) that many service members—whether or not they live in military housing—receive in areas with high rent costs, such as San Diego. According to the agency, an estimated $26.8 billion will be paid to approximately one million service members. However, for those who are living in military housing, like the Munoz family, the BAH is not much help, as the cost of military housing goes up in accordance with the increase. “The housing takes all of it,” Edwyn confirms. For those who live on civilian land and pay rent, Kamensky explains, “that 12 percent increase [on the BAH] is very openly advertised, and landlords follow what is happening in these allowance increases, so that doesn’t serve to deter them from escalating rent.” The BAH also counts as income when applying for benefits like CalFresh, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income people afford groceries. Many military families in San Diego have a high BAH to compensate for the expensive housing costs in our region, so they’re automatically disqualified from the program. A bill that would exclude the BAH from SNAP eligibility is also making its way through Congress. If approved, it could potentially bring some relief
for military families experiencing food insecurity. “We need to take a wholesale look at this problem,” Jacobs adds. “I think this is an area in which we can have bipartisan consensus.” As it stands, it appears any possible solution is hard to attain.
and making grocery shopping harder. “I run home to get the kids from school and childcare, and I don’t want to take them to a grocery store—there’s no time—and then every time [I] go, [I’m] too rushed,” she explains, noting that she’s always anxious about overspending. “In the end, the bill is more than it would have been if [I] were calm and alone.” Ríos struggles to budget with two young children, a full-time job, and all the responsibility that comes with that. She pulls her children around the makeshift donation market in a red wagon that slowly fills with groceries, clothes, and toys. She appreciates SNAP’s giveaway, she says, because “it’s on the weekend, it’s safe, it’s not super crowded, and it’s kid-friendly. I mean, look at [my daughter]. She’s running around with a balloon.”
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n the meantime, for Gia Ríos, a government contractor and military spouse, food giveaways like the one organized by STEP are a big help. “I just got a can of crushed tomatoes,” she tells
me as we chat at STEP’s headquarters. “I already know what I'm going to do with that.” Ríos and her family have been in San Diego since 2014. Recently, her husband was moved to a night shift, transfering the brunt of the caretaking duties to her
“Progress takes a long time, and military families deserve more timely and effective pathways to eradicate food insecurity.” —TONY STEWART
The Munoz family eats breakfast together at their home in Camp Pendleton.
SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE 49
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