Navy Federal Credit Union’s “No Plate Left Behind” Campaign Combats Hunger in the Military Community

By: Allison Stevens  | August 19, 2024

Kaitlin Nelson, a mortgage supervisor at Navy Federal Credit Union in Pensacola, Florida, understands the gift of receiving.

When she was young, her parents struggled to cover medical care for her sick brother and, at the same time, meet their needs—even those as basic as food. The choices her parents faced were wrenching, such as whether to travel to a children’s hospital in a faraway city or use those precious funds to feed the family that week.

Nelson’s family made it through an especially difficult year, thanks in part to Feeding the Gulf Coast (FTGC), a Feeding America affiliate that collects food, inspects and packages it, and delivers it to coastal communities in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Getting the organization’s food boxes “was how we ate” most days that year, Nelson told FTGC. “It was all we ate.”

Now, decades later, Nelson is paying it forward.

At FTGC’s massive warehouse in Milton, Florida, Nelson and other Navy Federal volunteers organize food and pack backpacks and boxes that go to people facing hunger, including military families. Nelson has volunteered 3 times this year and at least 15 times in the past four years—and plans to continue “as long as they will have me.” She is also hosting a department food drive to support Feeding the Gulf Coast’s Thanksgiving for All initiative.

Thousands of volunteer hours

Nelson is 1 of about 3 dozen Navy Federal team members who volunteer at the warehouse every week. All told, Navy Federal team members have contributed more than 5,600 volunteer hours over nearly 300 shifts at Feeding the Gulf Coast since 2020, which serves a region with a high concentration of military families. The efforts have helped provide more than 814,000 meals to people in need—many of whom are current or former servicemembers.

Nationally, 1 in 6 members of the military struggles to put food on the table, and many are forced to make impossible choices between food, rent and other needs, including medical care. One in four Active Duty servicemembers experienced food insecurity in 2020—far higher than the general population.

People often incorrectly assume that Active Duty families have what they need, but that’s not always the case, says FTGC President Michael Ledger, a Veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Active Duty members stationed in expensive cities may struggle with off-base housing expenses and higher costs of living, and few qualify for federal food assistance programs. Spouses also often struggle to find consistent work due to frequent base changes, Ledger notes, and childcare and other expenses often eat up income before the month’s out. “It’s a cocktail for food insecurity,” he says.

A “cocktail for food insecurity”

Navy Federal’s volunteer work at FTGC goes beyond food packaging and distribution. Last year, the credit union financed the construction of a new outdoor volunteer space that gives FTGC volunteers and employees a defined place to work and relax. The organization’s involvement has a “ripple” effect in the community that inspires others to volunteer for the cause, Ledger says.

It’s also a small slice of a much larger effort to combat hunger nationwide.

This fall, Navy Federal is again partnering with Feeding America to connect military and Veteran families with needed food. Navy Federal’s No Plate Left Behind campaign, which runs through October, directs donations to the Feeding America network of local food banks with large military populations in their service areas. (Help feed military families in need at www.navyfederal.org/fighthunger.)

The credit union is also collecting nonperishable food donations at bins on its main campuses and in Navy Federal Branch locations. Last year, the No Plate Left Behind campaign raised more than $130,000—enough to provide military families with more than 1.3 million meals.

The credit union encourages team members to donate or use their paid leave to volunteer at a Feeding America food bank in their community and hosts awareness-raising events during Hunger Action Month in September.

Nelson, for her part, says her life has come full circle. “I’m grateful to work for a company that allows us to give back to such an important cause—and one that assisted my family in our times of need.”

Join the cause to feed military and Veteran families in need at www.navyfederal.org/fighthunger.

Author Bio: Allison Stevens is a writer, editor and communications professional who specializes in strategic storytelling. A member of Navy Federal’s Corporate Communications team, Allison tells and shares stories about members who achieve their goals with the help of Navy Federal’s products and services and supports the team’s external communications and media relations initiatives. A former reporter, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in journalism.