By Astrid Spota,

With President Obama pledging to bring troops home from Iraq in time for the holidays, many New Yorkers are excited to welcome back their sons, daughters, neighbors and friends.

However, as the Food Bank’s latest report shows, after their tours have ended, many of our soldiers will have to face a new enemy: food poverty. Released today, From the Front Lines to the Bread Lines has found that 1 out of every 4 veteran households are struggling to afford food.

download the full report

Veterans are making a range of sacrifices to stay afloat: they are forgoing food to pay for rent, medical care or other necessary expenses. They are reducing the quality of food they buy, leaving out protein and other nutritional essentials, to keep food on the table for themselves and their families.

We know from reports conducted by organizations serving military veterans that unemployment rates are disproportionately high among veterans. Lack of work may land many of our returning soldiers on line at a soup kitchen or food pantry. Our report indicates that more than 1 out of 3 veteran households would not be able to afford needed food within three months of losing their household income.

This is a difficult message to hear on Veterans Day, but we hope that our veterans are able to take some comfort in knowing the Food Bank and our network of food assistance programs are there for them. In addition to providing needed food, our network can connect veterans to important services such as food stamps and tax assistance that can help them get back on their feet.

Sharing this information with family and friends is an effective way to show appreciation for our veterans — you can post a link to Facebook, tweet this article or email a link using our “share” button below.

Over the coming months, the Food Bank will work with legislators and organizations serving veterans to find ways to apply what we have learned and better serve our returning soldiers. We hope you will continue to follow this story as the Food Bank covers our progress in the coming months.

Thank you for supporting our veterans and the Food Bank.