Military families across the country, including households clustered around Camp Pendleton, are finding it tougher to keep the fridge full. A major new survey shows a steep jump in food insecurity among service members, spouses and veterans, and many families say they are cutting portions or skipping meals just to stretch their budgets. Local food pantries and base support offices report that the squeeze is already showing up at their doors this summer.
The findings come from the Military Family 360° survey, fielded from Oct. 2, 2025, through Jan. 16, 2026, which captured 10,089 responses, according to the survey’s executive summary published by the Military Family Advisory Network. The survey uses validated measures, including the USDA six item food security scale, to assess household access to food, housing and basic needs. Because the sample spans all branches and all 50 states, advocates say the results offer a broad snapshot of pressure points across the force.
What the survey found
The data show that 41.2% of respondents reported low or very low food security in 2025, nearly triple the 15.6% recorded in 2023, with enlisted families hit hardest, as reported by Capital & Main. More than half of households flagged grocery prices as a top barrier to healthy eating, and the report noted that many families reduced meal sizes or skipped portions so others could eat. Analysts warn that those patterns point to widening material strain that extends beyond the dinner table to savings, housing stability and mental health.
Local voices
A military spouse living near Camp Pendleton told Times of San Diego that extra deployment pay only covers temporary costs and that rising prices leave families exposed once service members return. “People are struggling,” the spouse said, describing long waits and referrals out of military medical clinics. Those on the ground accounts track closely with the national trends detailed in the survey.
Debt, moving costs and mental health
MFAN’s executive summary shows spouse unemployment climbed to 29.9% in 2025, up from 21.8% in 2023, and that families are increasingly turning to predatory credit. According to the Military Family Advisory Network report, 10.3% of respondents reported using auto title loans and 5.5% reported payday loans. The survey also found that between 58.9% and 63% of respondents paid more than $1,000 out of pocket on moves beyond reimbursements, and 25.1% of military households used emergency rooms for mental health care because they could not secure timely appointments. Researchers said those financial and care gaps are tied to higher rates of suicidal ideation and eroding emergency savings across the force.
Calls for policy fixes
Advocates have coalesced around a familiar wish list: modernize the Permanent Change of Station process, expand child care and mental health capacity, and update reimbursements so families are not pushed into short term loans. Shannon Razsadin, MFAN’s CEO, called spouse well being “a national security imperative,” as reported by Capital & Main. Federal News Network has also covered MFAN’s recommendations and the group’s call for the Defense Department and Congress to act on the survey’s findings.
What this means locally
For San Diego area families, the survey’s numbers line up with what food banks and base support groups are seeing on the ground: rising demand and a thinner margin between paychecks. MFAN has increased emergency grocery and pantry restock efforts in recent years to reach more installations, while local nonprofits say they are bracing for higher summer demand. Officials will be watching closely to see whether the Defense Department or Congress adjusts reimbursements or support programs, which advocates argue will be necessary to keep the force resilient.
