On May 12, the National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service and other partners are asking residents to help Stamp Out Hunger with its 26th annual food drive.
In previous years, letter carriers and the USPS have collected more than 1.6 billion pounds of food nationwide in the past 25 years.
In total, 49 million Americans — an estimated 1 in 6 — are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Thirteen-million are children. More than 5 million seniors, 60 and older, are food insecure. Many who live on fixed incomes.
“We’re proud of this food drive and the immediate help it brings to our local food pantries,” NALC Branch 888 President Ronnie Roush said. “We’re asking residents for their support to help make this another successful food drive. It’s easy to make a donation; simply leave a bag of non-perishable food items by your mailbox on May 12 to help your neighbors in need.”
Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
Anyone interested in donating are asked to leave a sturdy bag with non-perishable food items such as canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice, cereal, etc., next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on the day of the drive. Letter carriers will collect the donations when they deliver the day’s mail. All of the food collected in each community will be donated to a local food pantry.
