The Government Shutdown May Be Ending — But the Work Is Just Beginning

The government shutdown may be ending, but for millions of Americans—and especially for Veterans, service members, and military families—the hardship doesn’t end with a headline.

A few weeks ago—just before the shutdown—I sat in an audience where a national lobbyist posed a question that stopped me in my tracks. While discussing specifically a new food program and referencing new charitable initiatives in general, she asked:

“Why do we need more local or smaller charitable initiatives when national nonprofits already exist? Prove it to me.”

Prove it?

That question has echoed in my mind ever since—because the proof is right in front of us. It’s in the faces of neighbors who have filled the gaps that national organizations can’t and won’t ever reach.

We’ve seen it firsthand—in the generosity of local communities around West Point, New York, in Boston, and across southern Georgia near Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, and Fort Benning—where local partners, volunteers, and small nonprofits have stepped up quietly and consistently to keep food on tables.

They’re not waiting for headlines. They’re moving with heart.

The Reality

As highlighted in Candid’s recent article "Who relies on Snap?" by Aleda Gagarin and Cathleen Clerkin, Ph.D., the shutdown revealed a simple truth: food banks can’t fill the SNAP gap.

Nearly 42 million Americans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for their monthly groceries. When those benefits are delayed or cut, food banks and nonprofits are expected to fill the gap—but they can’t. The majority of direct service organizations that provide food aid are small, run by volunteers, and underfunded with budgets below $50,000.

For every meal a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine. That ratio doesn’t leave room for improvisation—it leaves families behind.

The Military and Veteran Impact

Behind those numbers are families who serve—the junior enlisted soldier whose paycheck runs out before payday, the Veteran balancing disability benefits against grocery bills, the Guard family juggling deployments and childcare.

Food insecurity among military and Veteran households isn’t new—but it grows with every delay, every policy gap, and every assumption that “someone else is covering it.”

Even as the shutdown ends, its aftershocks will linger. Families have already been relying on credit cards, personal loans, and savings to stay afloat. These are not temporary disruptions—they’re compounding realities that will ripple for months.

What We’re Doing

At Veterans Collaborative, we’re working with partners in Georgia, Virginia, and Massachusetts and beyond to educate, learn, and serve in this critical space.

Our belief is simple but unwavering:

No one who has served our nation—or is serving it today—should ever have to go hungry.

Through local networks and trusted partnerships, like the The Hunt Family Foundation, Feeding Georgia, Project Bread and State Departments of Veteran Services, we’re helping coordinate community response, amplify military food insecurity awareness, and direct resources to the people and places that need them most.

What Must Change

We don’t need more national campaigns. We need more local investment.

This challenge won’t be solved in power circles—it will be solved by a nation of neighbors, standing together and acting in shared responsibility.

Because when the system falls short, it’s the small nonprofits, the base chaplains, the food pantry volunteers, and the quiet acts of generosity that catch the fall, and that is who we are supporting.

So, to the question: “Prove it?” The proof is already in motion—community by community, team by team, family by family.

A Call to Action- Gratitude in Action

If you’re a business, donor, or local leader:

• Join us and support local food initiatives serving Veterans and military families.

• Advocate for policies that protect and strengthen support in your community.

• Invest in your own backyard—because that’s where impact truly begins.

If you need support, reach out to support@veteranscollaborative.org.

The shutdown may be over, but the work is just beginning. And the call to action remains the same:

Gratitude without action is just sentiment. Let’s put it into motion.

#VeteransCollaborative #FoodSecurity #MilitaryFamilies #Veterans #SNAP #CollectiveImpact #NoOneHungry #LocalImpact