On Saturday, May 10, you can make a difference in the community. That’s the day of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) 22nd annual food drive — the largest single-day collection of canned goods in the nation.
Think about individuals who are less fortunate and buy some extra non-perishable food items — peanut butter, canned soup, canned meats and fish, canned vegetables, fruits and juices, boxed goods (such as cereal), and pasta and rice — the next time you’re at the grocery store.
On Saturday, May 10, you can help “stamp out hunger.” Leave your bag of donated canned goods at your mailbox for your letter carrier to pick up. All donated goods will be brought back to the post office and/or to a local charity for sortation to benefit the hungry.
The need for food donations is great. Currently, 49 million Americans — 1 in 6 — are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Sixteen million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly five million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.
The food drive’s timing is crucial. 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.
Last year, with the help of thousands of volunteers, letter carriers all across America collected more than 74.4 million pounds of non-perishable food — the second-highest amount since the drive began in 1992, bringing the grand total to just under 1.3 billion pounds.
