WASHINGTON – On Saturday, May 13, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America will collect non-perishable food items donated by customers. They will be participating in the 14th annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive—the largest annual one-day food drive in the world. Postal employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands will collect food and deliver it to local community food banks, pantries and shelters.

“The United States Postal Service is proud to support our nation’s letter carriers and the generosity of customers to enable the collection of millions of pounds of food to replenish community food banks and feed the needy,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter.

Long-time supporters of the drive include the U.S. Postal Service, Campbell Soup Company, America’s Second Harvest, Cox Target Media, local United Ways throughout America and the AFL-CIO Community Services Network. In 2005, the drive collected a record 71.3 million pounds of food for the hungry, making the total amount of donations to community food banks and pantries from the NALC Food Drive over the last 13 years well over a half billion pounds.

An estimated 30 million people face hunger every day in America, including more than 12 million children. This drive is one way to help those right in their own city or town who need help.

Letter carriers have established a tradition of community service over the years. They have always been involved when something needs to be done, whether watching over the elderly through the Carrier Alert program, delivering the mail and assisting the American Red Cross during times of disaster, rescuing victims of fires, crime and other catastrophes.

The NALC Food Drive has received numerous accolades, including two Presidential Certificates of Achievement, a Special Appreciation Award in 2003 from America’s Second Harvest Food Bank Network, the annual Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2003 from Bon Appétit/Food Network and the annual World Hunger Year/Chapin Award in 2004.

More than 115 million postcards were mailed to customers in towns and cities throughout America letting them know about the food drive. Customers who did not receive a postcard can check with their local Post Office to find out if their office is participating. Customers are asked to place non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before their letter carrier delivers the mail on Saturday, May 13. The letter carrier will do the rest, taking the food to the Post Office where it is sorted and delivered to an area food bank or pantry.

Postal customers of some New York City and Chicago Post Offices are asked to take their food donations to their local participating Post Office during the week of May 6-13. New York City and Chicago residents should contact their local Post Office for more information.

Sign-up to receive an e-mail Friday, May 12, reminding you to place non-perishable food items next to your mailbox at www.stampouthunger2006.com.


Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 144 million homes and businesses every day, six days a week and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than half of the world's mail volume — some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year — and serves seven and a half million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide. Its website, usps.com, attracts more than 21 million visitors each month.