Serving Those Who Serve: Addressing Food Insecurities Among Service Members
By Chazz Kibler
Freedom Food Pantry Team members affiliated with the Maryland National Guard pose for a photo in the food pantry during a resource fair at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center in Sykesville, Maryland, on Nov. 15, 2024. The Freedom Food Pantry dedicates itself to ending food insecurity, one soldier and one family at a time. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chazz Kibler)
SYKESVILLE, Md. — For some, asking for help does not come easily. According to the Freedom Food Pantry team based at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center in Sykesville, Maryland, feelings like pride, ego, and embarrassment can sometimes prevent individuals from accessing necessary resources. The FFP team aims to break down the stigma of asking for help among Maryland National Guard service members, specifically those who are food insecure.
Nycholle Woolfolk-Gater, the Soldier family readiness specialist with the Maryland National Guard, stocks a food pantry at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center during a resource fair in Sykesville, Maryland, on Nov. 15, 2024. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chazz Kibler)
“So the language behind what a pantry is was a barrier we didn’t even think we’d have to overcome,” said Nycholle Woolfolk-Gater, Soldier Family Readiness specialist with the Maryland Army National Guard. “Service members saw a pantry as, ‘Okay, we need to come and donate food here.’ So they didn’t know they could come and get food.”
One of the Army’s values is selfless service, where Soldiers are expected to put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and their subordinates before their own.
“When you think about Soldiers, they’re so used to giving that they never looked at the pantry as something that would be available for them,” said Woolfolk-Gater.
Freedom Food Pantry Team members affiliated with the Maryland National Guard pose for a photo with food baskets that were prepared for service members to take home to their families during a resource fair at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center in Sykesville, Maryland, on Nov. 15, 2024. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chazz Kibler)
With the holidays approaching, the FFP team made food baskets complete with a turkey to be given away to over 90 families in need during a resource fair at the Sykesville Readiness Center on Nov. 15, 2024, before Thanksgiving.
“The pantry has been a lifeline during a difficult period in my life, providing not just food but also a sense of community,” said an anonymous Maryland Army National Guard Soldier assigned to the 200th Military Police Company.
“We’re building a rapport with these Soldiers,” said Woolfolk-Gater. “So, as we continue to show our faces around the Soldiers, joking and laughing with them, we noticed that they don’t even hide that they go to the pantry anymore.”
The FFP’s mission is to end food insecurity, one Soldier and one family at a time, but it comes with its challenges.
Emily Schmidt, pantry coordinator and public relations director with Freedom Food Pantry, grabs a turkey to give away to a service member in need at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center in Sykesville, Maryland, on Nov. 15, 2024. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chazz Kibler)
“We have more Soldiers coming, and then, the problem of sustainability has become a big thing because a lot of it has been community-based donations,” said Emily Schmidt, pantry coordinator and public relations director with FFP.
The FFP has developed a partnership with First Fruit Farms, a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to providing fresh, nutritious produce to those experiencing hunger to help with its sustainability issue. Still, FFP says it could always use more help through donations, partnerships, or adding more volunteers like Maryland Army National Guard Sgt. Larren Holmes, a petroleum supply specialist with the 729th Quartermaster Company.
“I’m always looking to find a way to help out,” said Holmes. “Nycholle is always doing a lot for us [service members], so I try to help her as much as possible.”
A service member receives a turkey and a food basket during a resource fair at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center in Sykesville, Maryland, on Nov. 15, 2024. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chazz Kibler)
The FFP has a Facebook group that stakeholders can join to stay abreast of updates and hours of operation, but sometimes, those operation hours can extend beyond the close of business.
“We’ve had some Soldiers that have been hurt, lost their homes in a fire, and different things that aren’t always planned for,” said Woolfolk-Gater. “So, we’ve had people come in the middle of the evening to pack up food for service members.”
The FFP says their future goal is to expand their services to other readiness centers and facilities throughout the Maryland National Guard and add key volunteers to the team to run the locations.
If you’re an MDNG service member with food insecurities and need help, contact the FFP at (443) 520-0997 or email nycholle.woolfolk-gater.civ@army.mil.
###