For the Tomahawk Leader
UNITED STATES – The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its annual Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive on Saturday, May 14.
The Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive, the largest food drive in the United States, was first held in 1983. The food drive is held annually on the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
The food drive helps feed millions of Americans and provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need, NALC said.
NALC explained that customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 14.
“Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches,” NALC stated.
People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery on Saturday. As they deliver mail, the nation’s 200,000 letter carriers will collect the donations that residents have left near their mailboxes.
Since its inception, the food drive has collected about 1.82 billion pounds of food for struggling residents, NALC said, noting that hunger affects one in eight Americans, including millions of children, senior citizens and veterans.
“The need is as great as ever, given the pandemic-caused economic dislocations of the past two years,” NALC stated.
NALC said its traditional food drive is returning after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, the food drive was replaced by NALC’s donor drive, in which those wishing to help made online donations to local food pantries.
Timing is important, NALC noted, with food banks, pantries and shelters running low on donations from the winter holidays and with summer approaching, when most school meal programs are suspended.
Several partners are assisting NALC with the food drive, including the U.S. Postal Service, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Vericast, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO, Valpak, the Kellogg Company and CVS Health.
“Letter carriers are a part of every neighborhood in the nation, and we see the growing need for food assistance in our communities,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “On Saturday, May 14, NALC invites everyone to participate in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Together, we can help stamp out hunger in America.”
Those with questions about the drive in their area are asked to contact their letter carrier or local post office or visit www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive, www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger or www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.
About NALC
The 294,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers represents letter carriers across the country employed by the U.S. Postal Service, along with retired letter carriers. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, the NALC is among the country’s oldest labor unions.