Los Angeles Area Post Offices to Stamp Out Hunger May 9

Nation’s largest food drive helps millions of Americans in need

WHAT: Letter carriers nationwide will join forces to help stamp out hunger by collecting non-perishable food items and delivering them to local community food banks.

WHO: U.S. Postal Service
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
Campbell Soup Company
Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest)

WHEN: Saturday, May 9, 2009

WHERE: Nationwide. The public is asked to leave non-perishable donations in a bag by their mailbox on May 9.

Photo/Video Opportunities: Contact us in advance to walk with a carrier or see donations arrive at the Post Office.

Background: Letter carriers care about the communities they serve. On the second Saturday in May, they will do much more than collect and deliver mail as they make their rounds. They will also collect non-perishable food donations and deliver them to local food banks to feed the hungry in their neighborhoods.

This is 17th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the nation, and maybe the world. It is a very simple and easy concept. The public is asked to leave non-perishable food in a bag by their mailbox on Saturday, May 9, 2009. Their letter carrier will do the rest. The food is brought back to the Post Office and distributed to local charities for people who need it.

Through a lot of hard work, dedication and compassion — and the support of people in the communities they serve — letter carriers have collected more than 70 million pounds of food each year for the past five years in a row.

Food banks are experiencing a skyrocketing demand tied to the current economic recession and donations are not keeping up with the increased need. Plus, the need for food is even greater during the summer months because many children are not in school and do not get school breakfasts or lunches.

Studies have shown that hunger in America is a much more serious problem than most people realize. An estimated 35 million people are at risk of hunger in America, including 12 million children. More families than ever before are having a problem putting food on the table. Food banks are reporting a 40 to 60 percent increase in requests for food this year.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.