Citizens asked to help Stamp Out Hunger Saturday

Monday, May 7, 2018
A letter carrier cutout stands in the corner of the Greencastle Post Office, a friendly reminder that the 2018 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive will take place on Saturday, May 12 with residents encouraged to leave non-perishable food items in a sturdy bag next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery.
Banner Graphic/Eric Bernsee

On Saturday, May 12, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the United States Postal Service and other partners are asking communities in Putnam County to take part in the 26th anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving — the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face to face with a said reality for too many — hunger.

So each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations from their customers.

Postal employees in Bainbridge, Cloverdale, Greencastle, Roachdale and Russellville will all take part in the event, which has grown into a national effort that provides assistance to the millions of Americans struggling to help put food on the table.

In 2017, generous Americans donated more than 75 million pounds of food, feeding an estimated 64 million people. This was the 14th consecutive year of at least 70 million pounds collected by letter carriers.

Over the course of its 25-year history, the drive has collected approximately 1.6 billion pounds of food, thanks to a postal service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Perhaps best of all, the food stays in the communities in which it is collected, meaning Putnam County donations will support food pantries right here.

Cat and dog food will also be accepted for the Humane Society of Putnam County.

The need for food assistance exists in every community in America. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in six Americans is food insecure, meaning he or she lives at risk of hunger.

Perhaps most alarming is the fact that 13 million children in America are struggling with hunger.

Additionally, more than five million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

The timing of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is also important. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas 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.

To participate in the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items such as canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 12.

Letter carriers will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to local food pantries.

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