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Local ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ drive scheduled Saturday |
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Wednesday, 06 May 2009 |
Local letter carriers are asking for residents’ help in stamping out hunger.
“Stamp Out Hunger” is the theme of this year’s national letter carriers’ food drive scheduled for Saturday.
Every second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America deliver much more than mail when they walk and drive along their postal routes. They also collect tangible examples of goodness and compassion of their postal customers who participate in the Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the nation and probably the world.
Locally, all foods collected will be donated to Churches Joint Council on Human Needs. The agency will distribute the items to families in need of this assistance, according to U.S. Postal Service employee Kevin Mustain, who is overseeing this year’s effort.
The project is entering its 17th year.
The effort by letter carriers, represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO), with the help of rural letter carriers, other postal employees and numerous other volunteers, has resulted in delivery of nearly 1 billion pounds of donations to community food banks and pantries during the past 16 years.
In 2008, the drive collected 73,113,915 pounds of food for the needy from postal customers. That brought the total for the first 16 years to 909 million pounds.
Residents are asked to place their nonperishable food donations in a bag beside their mailboxes, Mustain said.
He suggested canned goods, rice, spaghetti, cereal, dry foods and other nonperishable goods as possible donations. Also acceptable for the drive are powdered laundry products and toiletries placed in zip-lock bags.
“Everything we collect will go to CJCOHN,” Mustain said.
He commended the local agency, which is comprised of member churches, whose volunteers provide a ministry to people in crisis situations.
“When we’ve picked up people’s donations, all of it will be taken to CJCOHN facilities at 103 E. Elm St.,” he said.
The agency is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.
“The second Saturday in May is the one day each year when most Americans stop to think about hunger, thanks to the letter carriers’ food drive,” Mustain pointed out.
“More than ever, food banks, pantries and shelters need our help,” he said.
Nearly 1,500 local NALC branches in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands are involved in the drive.
Campbell Soup Co., a major supporter of the drive, co-sponsored the printing of 125 million postcards to encourage the general public to participate in the drive. Campbell Soup also earmarked an additional 1 million pounds of canned food donations for the drive.
Also returning as a major supporter is Cox Target Media and its Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, the nationwide direct mail marketing firm, which promotes the drive on 40 million packets delivered to postal customers.
“All citizens need do is to place their donations next to their mailboxes before their letter carriers deliver mail on Saturday,” Mustain said. “The carriers will do all the rest.”
Some 35.5 million people face hunger every day in America, including 13 million children. This drive is one way people can help those right in their own city or town who need help, Mustain said.
The NALC food drive has received a number of accolades over the years, including two Presidential Certificates of Achievement, a special appreciation award in 2003 from America’s Second Harvest food bank network, the annual Humanitarian of the Year award in 2003 from Bon Appétit/Food Network, and the annual World Hunger Year/Chapin Award in 2004.
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