Letter carriers food drive is May 12

The National Association of Letter Carriers annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive will be held May 12 this year.

Residents are asked to leave a sturdy bag of nonperishable items (canned foods, pasta, rice, cereal, etc.) next to their mailboxes prior to mail delivery. Letter carriers will collect the items as they deliver mail along their postal routes. Donated food will be delivered to local pantries.

It’s the 20th year that letter carriers have held their food drive. In 2011 carriers nationwide collected 70.2 million pounds of food, according to NALC President Fredric Rolando.

“For two decades now, our annual national drive has proved critical in helping millions of American families — our customers — who are struggling to make ends meet,” he said.

The drive is held every year on the second Saturday in May.

“Sixteen percent of all Americans are at risk of hunger — uncertain where their next meal may be coming from. That includes 1 in 5 children under the age of 18, plus 4 million seniors who are forced every day to choose between paying a utility bill and buying food,” he said.

Providing branches and volunteers a boost are the drive’s official sponsors: the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Campbell Soup Company, Valpak, U.S. Postal Service, United Way, AFL-CIO, Feeding America, Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage and AARP.

Questions regarding the food drive should be directed to NALC Director of Community Services Linda Giordano at (202) 662-2489 or at giordano@nalc.org.