Food banks around Fort Hood in Texas are seeing growing numbers of active-duty soldiers as pay fails to keep pace with living costs, The Guardian reports.
More than a dozen pantries surround the base, home to about 40,000 troops. The Armed Services YMCA serving the Fort Hood area says demand has risen by 12 to 19 per cent a year since its pantry opened three years ago. In 2025 it handed out 500,000lb of food to more than 19,000 families, and it often runs out by early afternoon.
Nationally, research by the Military Families Advisory Network found nearly half of active-duty families experienced food insecurity in 2025, more than double the 2023 rate, with enlisted ranks hit hardest. A sergeant interviewed by the paper said many soldiers were too ashamed to seek help and that housing allowances often fall short of rents.
Source: The Guardian
