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Over 50,000 pounds of food distributed to 650 military families in Killeen SaturdayKilleen Daily Herald
Washington, DC,
May 15, 2021
Tags:
Veterans
The Killeen Food Care Center distributed food to 650 military families on Saturday as cars drove through the parking lot. In total, there were 50,000 pounds of food given out between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to Raymond Cockrell, the executive director of the food care center. Cockrell spoke on giving food to those military families who need it. “I was born and raised in Killeen and the military has done so much for my family, and for me to come back and first and foremost serve my community, what a blessing,” Cockrell said. “20% of the 92,000 folks that came through our doors last year were military and people don’t understand that one in six military families are food insecure and need groceries, so we’re so glad to be able to stand in the gap between hunger and our military families.” Congressman John Carter, R-Round Rock, was also at the Food Care Center Friday and he spoke about what they are doing for military families. “I think it’s unbelievably exciting what they do, we’re moving a lot of goods, it’s amazing,” Carter said. Mina Strohmeier was one of the many that received food Friday morning. “It’s very helpful, very very helpful, because we have some pipes broken and a lot of extra things because of the winter storm and not knowing that some things are not covered, we’ve been spending a lot of money,” Strohmeier said. “It’s really very helpful and I’m very grateful.” Cockrell said this was the third time the Food Care Center has done the military family food distribution and that there will be three more this year, and that in partnership with the Military Family Advisory Network, the goal is to distribute over 1 million meals to military families throughout the country. According to a news release from the advisory network, the 1 Million Meals Challenge is made possible in part by the generous viewers of “CBS Evening News” with Norah O’Donnell, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Tyson Foods and the major commissary suppliers. “Food insecurity among military and veteran families is not a new issue, but the pandemic has made it more widespread and pressing than ever before. Families who have never had to ask for help — at Fort Hood, and across the country — are now struggling to put food on the table, and they may not know where to turn or may feel a sense of stigma in asking for help,” Anne Marie Dougherty, the chief executive officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, said. |