What is the Stronghold Ambassador Program and how does it work?

Stronghold Food Pantry serves military families each week at its headquarters in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, by providing food, necessities and support in a welcoming, confidential environment. Families can visit the pantry by appointment and choose groceries that best fit their household needs.

Stronghold recognizes that food insecurity affects military families far beyond Fort Leavenworth. In response, the Ambassador Program was launched in 2023 to extend Stronghold’s reach and serve families nationwide while continuing to provide support with dignity and care wherever and whenever families need it.

Ambassadors are vetted and selected by the Stronghold Board through an application process. Once approved, they complete training before helping bring Stronghold’s mission into action by identifying needs in their communities, connecting families with available support and helping distribute food with compassion and confidentiality.

How the Ambassador Program works

The Ambassador Program leverages technology and human connection to provide fresh groceries to military families beyond Stronghold’s physical pantry location. Families at participating locations can apply for Nationwide Support. Applying for and receiving assistance is completely confidential and handled with the dignity every family deserves.

Each family is contacted directly by a trained Ambassador to better understand their specific needs. Stronghold considers household size, dietary needs, allergies and food preferences to ensure the groceries provided are useful and tailored to the family.

Using this information, the Ambassador shops for fresh, well-balanced groceries and delivers them directly to the family’s home. Each household receives approximately one week of curated groceries, including the ingredients needed to prepare complete meals. This personalized approach allows Stronghold to reduce waste and maximize the impact of every donation.

Current Stronghold Ambassador Program locations

Alabama

• Mobile

California

• Port Hueneme

• San Diego

Colorado

• Fort Carson

Georgia

• Fort Benning

• Fort Gordon

Kansas

• Fort Riley

Louisiana

• Fort Polk

North Carolina

• Camp Lejeune

South Carolina

• Charleston

• Parris Island

Texas

• Fort Bliss

• Goodfellow

• San Antonio

  
  

Virginia

• Norfolk

  
  

Washington

• Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Growing the Ambassador Program through partnership

Stronghold launched the Ambassador Program in 2023, and its development and continued growth have been made possible through the support of donors and partner organizations.

Uncommon Grit Foundation provided a generous donation to support the new program in 2023. The partnership helped Stronghold expand its reach across all branches of the military.

In 2024, Stronghold was selected as a Fisher Service Award recipient for the Ambassador Program. Funding from Fisher House Foundation and Military Times helped strengthen program operations, train and activate Ambassadors, and expand Stronghold's ability to serve military families beyond the physical pantry.

Fisher House Foundation and Uncommon Grit Foundation remain Stronghold partners today, continuing to support the organization’s work on behalf of military families.

Generous support from partners and donors allows Stronghold to provide fresh, personalized groceries to more families while keeping dignity, confidentiality and human connection at the center of the Ambassador Program.

Join the Stronghold Ambassador Program

Our Ambassadors and volunteers are the heartbeat of Stronghold. Our donors, partners, and supporters help us build something worth celebrating. Together, we will never stop standing in the gap for the families we serve, ensuring no military family faces food insecurity alone.

If you have ever wanted to be part of something that makes a meaningful impact, we invite you to join Stronghold as an Ambassador or volunteer. The next Ambassador application deadline is September 1. Upcoming volunteer orientations at Fort Leavenworth are scheduled for August 2 and November 1.

We are stronger together.