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The 18th annual NALC National Food Drive to “Stamp Out Hunger” is the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Carriers collected a record 73.4 million pounds of food in last year’s drive. The drive is held annually in over 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Donations from this year’s drive are expected to push the overall total since the annual drive began 18 years ago to over 1 billion pounds. The total currently is 982.7 million pounds.
Donations will be collected by more than 1,400 local branches of the 295,000-member postal union and delivered to food banks, pantries and shelters that serve the communities where they are collected. Assisting in the effort are rural letter carriers and other postal employees, as well as members of other unions and thousands of civic volunteers.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando emphasized that as successful as the food drive has been in the past, it simply must be even better this year. “Millions and millions of families are suffering – struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table,” Rolando said. “Food banks, pantries and shelters need our help more than ever this year. As families count on them for support, they’re counting on us and we will not back off on our commitment.” Rolando also noted that donations are particularly critical at this time since most school lunch programs are suspended during the summer months and millions of children must find alternate sources of nutrition.
More than 126 million postcards, sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service and Campbell Soup Company, were delivered to postal branches to remind residents to leave food out by their mailboxes on May 8, that’s today. These followed more than 40 million special Valpak envelopes that were delivered in April and May also promoting donations.
Did you spring into action?
I sure hope so!
* National Association of Letter Carriers
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