Saturday, May 11th marks the 32nd anniversary of one of America's great days of giving - the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive. Letter carriers travel through the communities daily, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many, hunger.
Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the county collect non-perishable food donations from postal customers. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in Monroe who need help.
Over the course of its 30-year plus history, the drive has collected well over 1.9 billion pounds of food. The need for food donations is great. Currently, more than 44 million Americans are unsure where their next meal will come from. More than 13 million are children who feel hunger's impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school.
Nearly 5.5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.
Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
Participating in this year's Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive is simple. Just leave non-perishable food donations in a bag by your mailbox Saturday, May 11, 2024 and your letter carrier will do the rest. With your help, letter carriers and the U.S. Postal Service have collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food in the United States over the 30 years as a national food drive.