On a Saturday afternoon, Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division could be doing anything. They could have kayaked or watched the game at home. Instead, they decided to change someone's life.

After 10 years of war, many would say that Soldiers must be exhausted from combat operations, but the Soldiers of the Lancer Brigade here have found a new enemy to engage - hunger. Several Lancer Soldiers spent Oct. 22 fighting a different kind of war by volunteering their personal time to help combat this foe with the Puyallup Food bank.

"I came to help out the community that helps us," said Spc. Troy Dobberpuhl, a human intelligence analyst with 2nd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div. "You know, help out people who are less fortunate than us."

That is exactly what Dobberpuhl and other Lancer volunteers did.

The Puyallup Food Bank has fed struggling families approximately 12 meals a month for more than 30 years. They also assume responsibility for seven surrounding zip codes. In the city of Puyallup alone, they feed more than 700 families a month.

"Everything is funded through donations and volunteers, said Shanna Peterson, the director of operations for the food bank. "We are a huge family of volunteers; our volunteers are all dedicated to our cause."

With more than 700 families avoiding hunger every month, Lancer volunteers have proudly joined a long list of contributors.

"You should feel good about helping people who are less fortunate," Dobberpuhl said. "I think we got a lot accomplished, we had a really good turnout."

However, the food bank depends on the support and generosity of the community to stay in business.

"We raised more than 90,000 pounds of food at this year's Puyallup Fair opening weekend," Peterson said. But food donations are not always enough.

"There are things we can't accept from the general public such as dairy products, meat products, stuff like that," Peterson said. "Money and gift cards give us purchasing power. Two dollars can feed a family of four, Besides peanut butter, money is probably our number one need."

With only $2, families across the greater Puyallup area can be saved from hunger.

"I mean $2 can keep someone from going hungry," Dobberpuhl said. "What's $2? Is there any better way to spend it?"

For the Soldiers of the Lancer Brigade, 10 years of fighting terrorism is no excuse to let the idea of hunger terrorize American Families.