Extremely successful Letter Carriers’ Food Drive strives to help stamp out hunger

Highland Park letter carriers delivered almost 1,000 bags of food, received by over 50 volunteers at Moraine Township’s Food Pantry Saturday, May 10.

“This was a tremendous effort on the part of our Highland Park Letter Carriers, organized by Joe Cholewa,” Township Trustee Mark Haggarty said. “Their effort was above and beyond, and deeply appreciated.”

Essential to the success of the drive were all the residents who left food contributions by their mailbox for letter carriers to bring to Moraine Township’s Food Pantry.

“Every square inch of our pantry is filled with food. We are amazed!” event co-coordinator Lisa Greene said.

This was the 31st annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive, held the second Saturday of May each year (there was no event in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic). The drive is particularly timely in May to help stock the food pantry’s shelves for summer when there are fewer community food drives, yet residents visit the pantry all summer.

The township relies on a corps of volunteers who make it possible for the food pantry to serve our residents in need,” Moraine Township Supervisor Anne Flanigan Bassi said. “Volunteers and letter carriers unloaded and sorted bags of food.”

Moraine Township’s Food Pantry serves income-qualified residents who visit the food pantry twice a month to receive shelf-stable food items, plus produce, dairy and frozen meat. The food pantry is at 800 Central Ave., in Highland Park, and recorded over 8,000 resident visits to in the prior 12 months.

“I love being part of a community of workers and residents who care about neighbors in need of additional resources,” volunteer Amy Zisook said. “This drive demonstrates the care and compassion of our community who both contributed food and pitched in to volunteer.”