Stamp Out Hunger Food Collection is May 14

Upper Michigan residents will be able to help the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger across America Saturday, May 14.

Now in its 19th year, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, which is always held on the second Saturday in May, has become the nation’s largest single-day food drive. In 2010, drive organizers representing nearly 1,500 U.S. Post Office branches across the country, collected a record-setting total of 77.1 million pounds of food donations. This pushed the historical total for the drive to more than one billion pounds of food.

“I’m 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,” said Fredric V. Rolando, NALC president. “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.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, the number of Americans living in food insecure homes topped 50 million in 2009 (the most recent year that such data is available).

The donations stay in the communities where they are collected. To participate in the food drive, simply leave non-perishable food items at your mailbox in a sturdy bag for pickup on Saturday. Collection boxes are also available at Post Office branches.