SPOKANE, Wash. — Veterans and their families lined up at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex on Veterans Day to receive free food from 2nd Harvest's mobile market, addressing growing food insecurity among military families.

The mobile market provided boxes of produce, eggs and canned goods to veterans, with volunteers greeting each recipient with thanks for their service. While 2nd Harvest has hosted Veterans Day food markets before, volunteers said this year's event carried special significance.

"The need has probably never been greater," said Art Smalley, a volunteer at the event.

The distribution comes as food insecurity affects one in five veteran and military families nationwide, according to the Military Family Advisory Network. More than one million of those families rely on SNAP be

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