On your way home from work today, take some time to stop at the grocery store and pick up a few extra items for those in need. You'll help improve preparedness in your community, and thanks to an upcoming national food drive, you only have to leave your contributions as far as your front door.
Tomorrow — Saturday, May 9 — is the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the nation's largest single-day food collection event. To participate, leave bags of nonperishable, nonexpired foods next to your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick them up and deliver them to local food banks. How easy is that?
For the 15th year, the Stamp Out Hunger campaign, organized by the U.S. Postal Service, the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Campbell Soup Company, will help feed the nearly 35 million Americans who are hungry or living on the brink of hunger. Many of these people depend on food banks to ensure that they have enough to eat. In 2008, the event delivered over 73 million pounds of food.
Along with helping provide for those in need, food banks play an important part in community preparedness. If there are 35 million people who already don't have enough to eat, what will happen when a disaster such as a hurricane, a tornado or pandemic flu strikes? Demand on food banks will increase. That's why it is important to support our community food banks year-round.
Join Americans all around the country by contributing whatever you can on May 9. Whether you buy extra groceries the next time you shop or donate extra nonexpired canned goods you have in your pantry, every little bit helps and moves your local food banks one step closer to being prepared. Just leave them by your mailbox. No stamp required.
If you're not sure whether your letter carrier is participating in Stamp Out Hunger or if you live in an urban area, contact your local post office. Interested in other ways to help food banks? Read our tips and help your community prepare.
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