Fort Bliss soldiers volunteer to process food at El Paso hunger relief center

About 150 military personnel from Fort Bliss volunteered Saturday at El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, sorting and processing food to assemble supply boxes for local residents facing hunger, according to KVIA.

The volunteer effort took place at the food bank's facility at 9541 Plaza Circle in El Paso. Fort Bliss Garrison Commander Col. Michael Soyka and El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Interim CEO Kris Yagel welcomed the service members before work began. Soldiers spent the morning sorting food and distributing staple items including oranges, potatoes and canned goods to residents in need.

Yagel said food insecurity in El Paso has reached 40%, twice the national average. "Partnerships like this absolutely get us ahead for the weeks that follow. And so it is critical," Yagel said, according to KVIA.

For service members, the work offers a chance to connect with the community beyond standard military duties. Sgt. Jax Myers said outreach programs help the public understand the armed forces. "Having service like this and outreach programs really, I think, paints a better picture sometimes of what the military is truly about," Myers said.

The volunteer effort reflects a history of cooperation between the food bank and Fort Bliss. Soyka recalled how El Pasoans Fighting Hunger assisted military families during a federal government shutdown. "El Paso is fighting hunger came out to help us in our time of need when we had the government shutdown," Soyka said. "They brought food in from all over the country to make sure they had enough to be able to support the need."

Myers emphasized the importance of addressing food insecurity in the community. "People being hungry is never okay," Myers said. "So by any means, by any cost, even if it's just time, if it's my time, knowing that it could potentially help somebody in a spot of poverty like that is really unique and cool."