Help North Shore Letter Carriers 'Stamp Out Hunger' On Saturday

BEVERLY, MA — Helping those with food insecurity this weekend could be as easy as putting out the mail for collection.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the nation each year — will be held on Saturday. North Shore residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food next to their mailboxes and your local letter carrier will pick up the donations on their regular delivery routes.

The collections will then be sorted and donated to local food pantries, such as Beverly Bootstraps.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has delivered close to 1.8 billion pounds of food to pantries, food banks, shelters and churches across the country over the past 30 years.

With hunger affecting 1 in 8 Americans, including millions of children, senior citizens, and veterans, this drive is one way you can help those in your city or town.

BeverlyBootstraps provides critical resources to people living in Beverly as well as Manchester-by-the-Sea, Essex, Hamilton, and Wenham.

Beverly Bootstraps said items most needed currently are peanut butter, boxed pasta, mac & cheese, canned vegetables, pull-up diapers in sizes 3 through 6, baby wipes, cereal, tuna fish, cooking oils and sprays, full-sized soaps, shampoos, conditioner, deodorant, razors, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Those donating are asked not to donate food that has expired or will soon expire, or anything in a glass container.

Beverly Bootstraps provides critical resources to families and individuals so they may achieve self-sufficiency. They offer emergency housing and long-term assistance including access to food, housing stability, adult education, counseling, and advocacy.

More on Beverly Bootstraps and its programs can be found here.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations.

Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)