Every second Saturday in May, mail carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across the nation collect canned goods as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive, the largest one-day food drive in the United States.
Thanks to the compassion of postal customers in communities all over America, mail carriers are able to collect non-perishable food donations left in mailboxes and in post offices and deliver them to local community food banks, pantries and shelters. For more than a decade, the drive has annually collected more than 70 million pounds of food.
The Madison County Post Office is one of the many participants a part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and have already received many canned goods from citizens who brought their donations to the office. In addition, mail carriers have placed plastic bags in postal customer's mailboxes, which will be used to place the canned goods in. Non-perishable items that can be donated include dry cereals, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, canned fruits or vegetables, canned meat (such as soups, chili or pasta), peanut butter or any other food that is easily stored without requiring refrigeration prior to opening. Pet food is also allowed, as the pet food will be distributed to pet owners in need or local animal shelters.
On Saturday, May 14, mail carriers will collect these donations during their deliveries. The Madison County Post Office asks that postal customers hang their donation bags on their mailbox hook or place the bags beside their mailboxes if no hook is available. If anyone would also like to bring donations to the post office on Saturday, they are more than welcome to.
After all of the donations are collected, the food will be sorted and delivered to Consolidated Christian Ministries, Inc. of Madison. Last year, the Madison County Post Office collected a total of 3,000 pounds of food from the community. This year, their goal is to pass last year's collected amount.
With 49 million people facing hunger every day in America, including nearly 16 million children, this drive is one way you can make a difference in Madison County.