As food prices soar, letter carriers mobilize to feed the hungry on Saturday, May 10

It’s the nation’s largest one-day effort to stamp out hunger in America

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 walk and drive along their routes. They will also collect non-perishable food donations and deliver them to local food banks to feed the hungry in their neighborhoods.

This will be the 16th 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 next to their mailbox on Saturday, May 10. Their letter carrier will do the rest. The food is brought back to the Post Office and distributed to local charities that in turn provide it to people who need it.

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.  And with the current soaring prices at the grocery store, more families are finding it harder to put food on the table.

The number of Americans who depend upon food banks is estimated at 10.4 percent of the population! Food banks and other charities report that their current supply of food is dwindling as summer approaches. But the need for food is great during the summer because many children are not in school and do not get school breakfasts or lunches.

Last year, through a lot of hard work, dedication and compassion — and the support of people in the communities they serve — letter carriers collected 70.7 million pounds of food. That was the fourth consecutive year their efforts have exceeded 70 million pounds.