VVFF Veteran Initiative Positively Impacts Military Personnel And Veterans

Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia (VVFF) is a huge supporter of other nonprofits serving the Fibromyalgia, Military and Veteran communities. In March 2024, VVFF Team Members raised $1200 in one week, along with donated non-perishable goods, and toilet paper to Serving Area Military, Veterans and Widows (SAM Center).

Serving Area Military and Veterans (SAM Center) is a non-profit that serves the military and veterans communities. SAM hosts monthly food distribution events to provide much needed food, and other household necessities, to Military members, Veterans and Widows of Veterans.

Now more than ever, it is integral to support smaller non-profits. A study conducted by The Bob Woodruff Foundation found that Military and veterans charities are struggling to keep up with the flood of requests for mental health care and financial assistance, pointing to serious gaps in available safety nets for vulnerable veteran families. Additional research also found:

·        Recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) show that working-age veterans have a 7.4% greater risk of experiencing food insecurity than non-veterans. In addition, subpopulations of veterans who are disabled or a senior citizen are at an even higher risk.

·        Among all veterans, those who are younger, recently left active-duty military service, and had a lower final military paygrade are at a higher risk of food insecurity. (Researchers: Brostow, Gunzburger, and Thomas, 2017; London and Heflin, 2015; Miller et al., 2016; Widome et al., 2015).

·        It has also been found that Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and women veterans have a higher risk of food insecurity, with a 2018 study finding that 27.6 percent of veteran women are "food insufficient" (Researchers: Narain et al., 2018). 

·        Veterans who live in rural or low-income areas with poor access to nutritious food might also have a higher risk of food insecurity; barriers related to transportation can make it difficult to travel to locations where there is more food variety (Dutko, Ver Ploeg, and Farrigan, 2012).

  Research Sources: Center For Strategic & International Studies - Food Insecurity among Veterans: Who Is at Risk and How to Respond (csis.org), Center For Strategic & International Studies - Solving Food Insecurity among U.S. Veterans and Military Families (csis.org), Cambridge University - Risk factors for Veteran food insecurity: findings from a National US Department of Veterans Affairs Food Insecurity Screener | Public Health Nutrition | Cambridge Core

With that being said, it is critical that smaller nonprofits serving the Fibromyalgia, Military, and Veteran communities, work in cross-collaboration, and support each other's initiatives to ensure the overall health and safety of those we serve.

Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia (VVFF) is honored to support Serving Area Military, Veterans and Widows (SAM Center) mission. Thank you to all the VVFF Team Members who assisted in this initiative to support the SAM Center. To learn more about Sam Center's mission, visit their website at: Serving Area Military

PICTURED: Kristal Kent, founder of Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia, and Bryan Bowman, founder of Serving Area Military, Veterans, and Widows - SAM Center.