Military Families and Food Security: A Call to Action

A wheat field and and blue sky, An estimated 24% of our nation’s active-duty service members and their families are food insecure.

Join OneOp’s 2023 Military Family Readiness Academy as we mobilize family service professionals at federal, state, and local levels to focus on expanding food security for our military family population.

The Importance of Food Security

Within the military population, we see a confluence of factors impacting food security, such as spouse unemployment, frequency of moves, and enlisted service member pay grade and rank. A rise in economic insecurity has also contributed to increased food insecurity in vulnerable populations. Service providers have the ability to expand food security in the communities they support. Join the 2023 Academy series to explore food insecurity’s impact on military families, and discover how to apply your knowledge to the communities you serve!

Have you used the USDA’s 2-question screener to asses for food insecurity among the families you work with? Learn more about the assessment here.

2023 Academy Series Offerings:

  • Engagement opportunities

  • Continuing Education credits

    • Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences (CFCS): This program has been submitted for 1.5 CE credits from the American Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) for CFCS.
    • Certified Nutrition and Wellness Educator (CNWE): This program has been submitted for 1.5 CE credits from the American Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) for CNWE.
    • Case Manager: This program has been submitted to the Commission for Case Manager Certification for approval to provide board-certified case managers with 1.5 clock hours.
    • Board Certified Patient Advocates: This program has been pre-approved by the Patient Advocate Certification Board (PACB) to provide continuing education credit to Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA). The program has been approved for a total of 1.5 CE contact hours, of which 0.0 are in the area of Ethics.
    • Social Work, LPC, LMFT: This program has been submitted for 1.5 CEs from the University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
    • Accredited Financial Counselors (AFC): This program has been submitted for approval of 1.5 CEUs from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) for AFCs.
    • Certified Personal Finance Counselors (CPFC): This program has been submitted for 1.5 CEs from FinCert for CPFCs.
    • Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE): This program has been approved for 1.5 CEs from National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) for CFLEs.
    • Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) and Nutrition Dietetics Technicians, Registered (NDTR): This program has been submitted for 1.5 CPEU from the Commission on Dietetic Registration for RDNs and NDTRs.

A Message from Department of Defense Leadership

Mrs. Patricia M. Barron, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy

Mrs. Barron is currently responsible for a broad portfolio that includes policy, advocacy, and oversight of all community support to service members and their families. As an Army spouse for 30 years, she has been involved in myriad efforts to support military families.

A Message from USDA- National Insititute of Food and Agriculture Leadership

Dr. Brenda Martin, National Program Leader for the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences at USDA-NIFA

Dr. Brenda Martin is a National Program Leader with USDA-NIFA. Prior to joining USDA-NIFA, she worked in higher education as a university professor for twenty-four years, including seven years as department chairperson.  Dr. Martin holds memberships in several professional, educational, and civic organizations.

LinkedIn Group | A Space for Service Providers

The Academy series is supplemented by the LinkedIn Group Military Families and Food Security. Share your expertise and experiences working with families in need, and highlight programs and initiatives that are working to alleviate food insecurity in your communities. Group members will be guided through the process of completing a personalized Benefits Resource Guide, a reference document for use with clients experiencing food insecurity in your community.

Share the Academy Flyer

Download the Academy flyer and share it with a colleague!

Mailing List

Sign up for the Academy mailing list to receive additional information and announcements in the coming months.

We also encourage you to explore the Food Security in Focus collection, available now!

Food Security in Focus – Complimentary Programming

Take advantage of OneOp’s Food Security in Focus collection, offering live and on-demand webinars related to food security. Food insecurity adversely impacts racial/ethnic minority populations, lower-income populations, and rural and remote populations.

This programming complements the Academy series, focusing on expanding food security for families and mobilizing family service professionals to work together at federal, state, and local levels.                  

The Food Security in Focus programming covers topics such as:

  • Increasing children’s fruit and vegetable exposure
  • Reducing food waste
  • Helping your clients inflation-proof their budget
  • The connection between Medicaid, food security, and well-being
  • Using the Spectrum of Prevention as a framework in public health
  • Navigating SNAP benefit enrollment
  • Food insecurity among teens

Explore the Food Security in Focus collection and register for a free webinar today!

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