Local food bank prepares to serve additional military families

DAYTON, Ohio — Despite not knowing when the next paycheck is coming, millions of military service members are required to continue working through the government shutdown.

Hundreds of thousands of civilian employees and contractors remain in essential roles at work, but even more are facing furloughs. One local food pantry near Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton is preparing to help more military families as the shutdown continues.

“This means the world to all of us out here. This is all we have. This right here is something to look forward to,” said Shannon George.

For years, being able to line up outside of Fairborn Fish Food Pantry has meant the world to Shannon George.

“This right here doesn’t turn you away when you’re hungry,” she said.

It’s also been a place where volunteers like Dottie and Alan Meade have been giving back for a long time.

The pantry serves about 53,000 people a year, including many young military families at Wright-Patt less than five minutes away.  

Meade was a government contracting officer for 30 years, and he loves volunteering.

However, with the shutdown, there’s a lot to think about as he helps organize food donations.

They’re concerned about their three daughters and their spouses.

“Four of them are Air Force employees, and they’re furloughed right now,” said Alan Meade.

The Meades also have small grandchildren, and that makes them extra nervous during these times.

“The economy is not good right now, and it’s scary for our kids who are not working and for our community. We have a lot of people in Fairborn who live and work for the base and are now unemployed,” said Dottie Meade.

“I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Fairborn Fish Food Pantry executive director Jane Doorley.

Doorley said that about 15% of people in Fairborn don’t know where their next meal is coming from. 

“I think that, with the shutdown, that’s going to increase,” she said.

In November, the pantry is planning a special event for military and veterans.

“We’ll give them like a gift card to the commissary or grocery store, we’ll give them a bucket of cleaning supplies, some food and everything. Just kind of do what we can to help them get through this,” she said.

For the Meades, they’ve experienced furloughs before, but in the past employees were reimbursed.  

“In this case, they’re not sure if it’s going to happen, and then there’s threats that they will actually lose their jobs, so that causes more consternation on their part,” said Alan Meade.

“The fear of not knowing. Tomorrow, do I go to work? How long is this going to last? Every day you get up wondering, is it today they’re going to solve the problem,” said Dottie Meade.

Fairborn Fish plans to host the donation drive for military members and veterans from noon to 4 p.m. on Nov. 15.

The pantry also helps with a wide variety of necessities during the year, such as health screenings, child safety events, pet care and job fairs.