Elgin letter carriers to Stamp Out Hunger

Submitted by United Way of Elgin

United Way of Elgin encourages community members to donate a bag of nonperishable items (canned foods, pasta, rice, cereal, etc.) to be collected by letter carriers as they deliver mail along their postal routes.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive will take place Saturday, May 14. Residents should set food next to their mailboxes prior to mail delivery.

Donated food will then be delivered to First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Ave. in downtown Elgin, where volunteers will sort the food to be delivered to area pantries. Volunteers are needed May 14 for two-hour shifts: 2-4 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. To volunteer, visit uwelgin.org/volunteer.

“Every day in Elgin, families are struggling to put food on the table. More families have to survive on tighter budgets that leave them unable to provide for this basic need. This food drive will help stock local pantries, which have experienced high demand the last several years. The drive continues to be an important source of food for our families,” said Elissa Kojzarek, Resource Development and Special Initiatives Manager at United Way of Elgin.

Each year, millions of Americans join the effort to help meet the needs of nearly 50 million Americans who live in families that lack sufficient food. One in seven adults and nearly one-quarter of all children are hungry and not receiving the basic nutrition they need.

“Stamp Out Hunger” is a national partnership between NALC, the U.S. Postal Service, United Way, the AFL-CIO, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Campbell, Feeding America, Valpak, AARP and Uncle Bob’s Self Storage. The nation’s 230,000 active letter carriers will take the donations to local food banks, pantries and shelters.

For details, call the United Way office at (847) 741-2259 or email Elissa Kojzarek at ekojzarek@uwelgin.org.