The Stamp Out Hunger food drive, held annually on the second Saturday in May, has become the nation’s largest single-day food drive. This year letter carriers representing nearly 1,500 local branches of the postal union will collect food donations along their postal routes. These donations will be used to replenish food banks and pantries in more than 10,000 communities.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said the 300,000-member union is “incredibly proud of the partnership with Campbell Soup Company to support the Stamp Out Hunger food drive that has helped so many millions of families over the years.
“As letter carriers, we see people on our routes six days a week that must rely on the generosity and assistance of others to help provide something as basic as a meal. We’re proud to have established a program that truly provides assistance in every community across the country,” said Rolando.
In addition to producing more than 80 million postcards to be delivered to homes across America to remind everyone to participate in the drive, Campbell will again donate one pound of food (up to one million pounds) to the Feeding America food bank network for every person who joins the Stamp Out Hunger Cause on Facebook. Americans can trigger a donation by visiting www.Facebook.com/StampOutHunger.
Denise Morrison, Campbell Soup Company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer said, “Campbell is committed to the success of the Stamp Out Hunger food drive and we will do all we can to remind Americans to contribute on Saturday, May 14th.
“Hunger continues to be a critical issue for our nation," Morrison added. "At a time when we are experiencing challenging economic conditions, it remains unacceptable that millions of Americans, especially our children, continue to go hungry in our country. That’s why we’re proud to be a part of this drive, which not only demonstrates the generosity of our neighbors, but also benefits community members in need.”
The need for food assistance across America has never been greater. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, the number of Americans living in a food insecure home surpassed 50 million in 2009 (the most recent year that such data is available). Perhaps most alarming is that approximately one-third of those at risk of hunger are children (17.2 million).
To participate in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, Americans are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned fish or meats, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to their regular mail delivery time on Saturday, May 14. In St. Joseph, specially marked Stamp Out Hunger sacks will be left in mailboxes prior to the event that can be used on the 14th. The nation’s 230,000 active letter carriers, along with tens of thousands of rural letter carriers, will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to a local food bank pantry or shelter, including hundreds affiliated with the Feeding America food banks that serve the more than 10,000 communities where food is being collected. Second Harvest will be one of the food banks benefiting from this food drive.
Feeding America, a national partner in the drive, is the nation’s leading domestic-hunger-relief organization, providing assistance to more than 37 million Americans every year. Today, one in eight Americans relies on the organization for food and groceries. In a recent survey conducted by Feeding America, nearly half (46 percent) of all households the organization serves reported having to choose between paying for utilities or food.
Also supporting the drive as national partners are the U.S. Postal Service, the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, Valpak, the AFL-CIO, United Way, and Uncle Bob's Self Storage.
For more information about the Stamp Out Hunger food drive in the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and the District of Columbia, ask a letter carrier, contact a local post office, or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com, www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, or www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.
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