The 26th annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive is Saturday, May 12.
That means it’s time to fill your food drive plastic bag, left in your mailbox this week by your letter carrier, with non-perishable food. Put the food by your mailbox and letter carriers and volunteer drivers will pick it up. If you don’t have a food drive bag, just use another plastic bag or box.
This is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, called “Stamp Out Hunger.” Locally, the Harry Chapin Food Bank and the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties partner with the letter carriers to make the food drive happen. Hundreds of volunteers assist the letter carriers with picking up the food, and also unload and sort the food as it’s brought to various postal drop-off sites.
All the food collected locally will be distributed locally by the Harry Chapin Food Bank and several other agencies to help feed the hungry.
The drive accepts nonperishable food in in unopened, non-breakable containers, such as peanut butter, pasta, tuna, rice, beans, cereal, canned meats, fruits, vegetables, soups and other items.
The Letter Carriers’ Food Drive helps food banks and the agencies they serve stay supplied with food during the summer months, when school is out and the need is great. The Harry Chapin Food Bank serves 28,000 people per week through more than 150 partner agencies in Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Glades and Hendry counties.