Mail Carriers, Community, CROSS Partner to 'Stamp Out Hunger'

To help local families and individuals in need, mail carriers partnered with community members and CROSS for the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on May 9th.

During the nation’s largest single day food drive, mail carriers in Maple Grove, Osseo, Rogers, Champlin, and Osseo collected 21,813 pounds of food donated by residents placing a donation by their mailbox.

“Letter carriers are honored to be able to help people in need,” National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) President Fredric Rolando said. “On a daily basis we see the needs in the communities we serve, and we believe it’s important to help meet those needs.”

Donations are vital to help CROSS prepare for the summer months – a time when visits to the food shelf increase with children out of school and donations often decrease. When school is out of session and low-income families cannot rely on free school meals, they often turn to food shelves to obtain food to replace those meals, according to Hunger Solutions Minnesota. Last year, more than half of the individuals served at CROSS were youth under 18.

Although the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is over, food, school supplies, clothing, and fund donations are accepted year round at CROSS. Some of the most needed items for the food shelf during the summer months include peanut butter, jam/jelly, cereal, and canned meat as well as non-food items such as shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrushes, and laundry detergent.

Donations are accepted online or at the CROSS, located 12915 Weinand Circle in Rogers:

· Monday 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

· Wednesday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

· Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

· Friday 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

CROSS is a nonprofit organization serving Maple Grove, Osseo, Rogers, Corcoran, Dayton, and Champlin (west) for nearly 40 years. Each month, CROSS assists approximately 600 local families.

For more information, visit crossservices.org, call 763-425-1050, and find CROSS Services on Facebook and Twitter.