Food insecurity is a lack of access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle. Between 2015 and 2019, 11.1 percent of working-age veterans lived in food-insecure households, and 5.3 percent lived in households with very low food security.

In 2018, about 11 percent of US households were food insecure at least some time during the year. Food insecurity tends to be higher in households relying on social assistance, single-parent homes, ethnic minorities and people who are homeless or house insecure.

The number of food insecure veterans is also high among those who served in the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These veterans are almost twice as likely to be food insecure compared to the general population.

Food Insecure Resources and Websites

NOTE:  These pages are continuously updated to reflect the evolving response and resources.

There are efforts to reduce food insecurity among veterans, such as the Ensuring Veteran Food Security Workgroup, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. But not all veterans are eligible or opt to receive assistance through VA.