VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — With an Easter meal in the car, Latisa Thomley had one less thing to worry about as she and her family worked to get settled in Virginia Beach.
“It kind of helps," Thomley said.
At a church in Virginia Beach, food for an Easter meal was distributed to Hampton Roads military families in an effort to help address military family food insecurity.
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Thomley's husband is in the Navy. She knows the struggle of food insecurity.
“We lived off of ham sandwiches for a long time before we could finally afford actual groceries, meals, cooking, things like that," Thomley explained.
As of 2023, one in five military families were food insecure. That’s according to the Military Family Advisory Network, a research-based nonprofit in Virginia trying to raise awareness about challenges military families face.
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Being food insecure means having limited or uncertain access to enough food for a healthy, active life.
All of the food at the distribution event in Virginia Beach was donated by companies wanting to help address this.
“We know how important the military and veterans and their families are to our area," said Smithfield Foods Senior Community Development Manager Jonathon Toms said.
"We’re honored to be here today," TCOM Site Operations Manager James Catteau said.
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Catteau was representing the company that provided the side dishes. He’s a veteran and also knows how tough putting food on the table can be for military families.
“Back when I was junior enlisted, there were many months where my wife and I had to make the decision of what bills to pay and what kind of food we were going to eat," said Catteau.
The food distribution was coordinated by the Armed Services YMCA in Virginia Beach. Executive Director Laura Baxter said the distribution is an extension of the YMCA’s food pantry for military families.
“We want to make sure this is a focus for us and we’re going to take care of them," Baxter said.
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Thomley said her family’s struggles have motivated her to volunteer to help other families and she’s hopeful they'll have an easier time getting help from events like the food distribution than she did.
“It took me a while to learn about these, but now because of social media becoming a big thing and more people getting more involved in communities it really helps get the word out there," said Thomley.
