Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive slated this Saturday

This Saturday, May 11, marks the 27th anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving — the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face-to-face with a sad 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.

Participating in this year’s Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is simple. Just leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag by your mailbox on Saturday and your letter carrier will do the rest.

The donations will go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in Putnam County who need help.

In Greencastle, that means letter carriers will distribute the items directly to the Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry, New Life Baptist Church Food Pantry and Greencastle Christian Church Food Pantry.

Additionally, donations of dog and cat food will be accepted for the Putnam County Animal Shelter.

Local businesses are also encouraged to get in on the act by donating flats of cans. Managers may call the Greencastle Post Office at 653-5618 to arrange pick-up.

There is also a drop-off location in the lobby of the Post Office, 8 E. Walnut St.

Last year, the NALC collected 71.6 million pounds of food nationally, feeding an estimated 65 million people. Over the course of its 26-year history, the drive has collection in excess of 61.7 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.

The need for food donations is great. Currently, 42 million Americans, or one in six, are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Sixteen million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly five million seniors 60 years and older are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

The food drive’s timing is crucial. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of donations around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday 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.

With these factors in mind, the public is invited to join the NALC in its fight to end hunger.