Letter Carriers will be Accepting Food Donations Today

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) are hoping to coordinate the largest food drive to combat hunger this year all day today.

Residents are asked to put any non-perishable foods like canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal in a sturdy bag next to their mailbox before the regular delivery today, Saturday, May 14.

This is the 19th annual NALC National Food Drive to stamp out hunger. The one-day drive is held on the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states.

Last year, the NALC collected a record 77.1 million pounds of food donations along their postal routes—pushing the total to more than 1 billion pounds for the food drive, which began in 1992.

NALC President Fredric V. Rolando emphasized that there has never been a greater need for a successful drive, according to a press release. About 50 million Americans live in families that lack sufficient food. One of every three—17 millions—is a child.

"In every corner of this country, there are people and families who are hungry, including children," Rolando said. "As letter carriers, we have the privilege of serving communities six days a week of getting to know people, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to serve them in this way as well."

Donations are critical now, according to Rolando. With most school lunch programs suspended during the summer months, millions of children must find alternate sources of nutrition.

The nation's 230,000 active letter carriers will collect the donations and take them to a local food bank, pantry or shelter, including hundreds of affiliated with Feeding America, a national partner for the drive. Assisting the 1,400 local branches of the NALC will be rural letter carriers and other postal employees, plus members of other unions and civic volunteers.

"As letter carriers," Rolando said, "we see people on our daily routes who rely on the generosity of others to help provide something as a meal in a time of need. We're proud to continue this program of critical assistance to needy families in every state in the union."

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