Special to the
News-Times
EL DORADO — Local letter carriers will again help Stamp Out Hunger as they collect non-perishable foods for the Salvation Army on Saturday. They will collect non-perishable food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes.
In its 25th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, with letter carriers having collected more than 1.2 billion pounds of food from postal customers since its inception. Union County postal customers contributed more than 4,000 pounds to the Salvation Army Food Pantry during last year’s drive.
“All of the food that is collected goes to support both the local food pantry and also the seven satellite cities in Union County food pantries,” said Salvation Army Lt. Charles Smith. “Because of the enormous amount of people we serve, every non perishable item from the NALC food drive is needed in our pantry.”
The Salvation Army is a partner agency of the United Way of Union County. The national event is also sponsored by United Way Worldwide.
Postal customers are asked to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday.
“Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many, hunger. So, each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations from postal customers. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in Union County who need help,” said Alexis Alexander, executive director of the United Way of Union County.
Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans. Local letter carriers will collect donations from homes across the city and county and deliver them to the Salvation Army.
“We are so excited to be working with the Postal Service to combat hunger right here in our community,” said Alexander. “The need to stock the food pantry is so important because the need for assistance has grown tremendously in the last year.”
The need for food donations is great. Currently, 49 million Americans – one in six – are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Sixteen million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes and are often too embarrassed to ask for help.
“Our food drive’s timing is crucial,” said Alexander. “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.”
For more information, contact Alexander at 870-862-4903.