Just over a quarter (25.8%) of U.S. service members are, or have been, food insecure according to recent research conducted by RAND for the U.S. Department of Defense. That’s 1 in 4! Survey findings indicated that about 15.4% of all active duty personnel would be classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as having low food security and 10.4 % would be classified as having very low food security.
Financial resilience is the ability of an individual or family to withstand events (e.g., job loss, medical emergency, car repairs) that impact their income and/or assets. These incidents are often costly and unexpected.
From college students to older adults, nutrition and food security has become a critical challenge facing American families. Nutrition and food security is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, inflation, and other forces.
For the past few years, food insecurity has become a more prevalent issue faced by an increasing number of families across the nation. The second issue of OneOp’s PowerUp digital magazine explores the impact of food insecurity on military service members and their families and highlights the great impact various programs and professionals have made on ensuring military families are food secure.
FIRE is an acronym for Financial Independence (FI), Retire Early. FIRE enthusiasts live frugally and invest a large part of their income to reach a “walking away number” where they can leave a 9-to-5 job and live life on their own terms decades before traditional retirement age.
Adults, and parents/caregivers specifically, are the key to youth developing empathy, compassion, and positive social behaviors and responses. Read through a few guidelines for offering support to parents/caregivers whose youth are experiencing (or impacted by) problem behaviors.
As your child prepares to embark on a new academic year, this time can bring on a unique set of challenges and considerations. However, with proper planning, open communication, and a supportive approach, you can help pave the way for your children to experience a successful and enriching educational journey.
Food insecurity can contribute to a low intake of nutritionally adequate foods that meet individuals’ dietary recommendations (Gundersen & Ziliak, 2015).
Understanding how to be a strong communicator is an essential skill when developing effective family-to-professional and professional-to-professional partnerships. Each one of us has a style when we communicate, and sometimes, that style may not align with our communicative intention. Knowing your communication style and the process in which you communicate may assist with enhancing feelings of mutual respect and create an environment where shared decision making can occur.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy, U.S. Department of Defense under Award Number 2023-48770-41333.
© 2025 OneOp. All rights reserved.
