Letter Carriers Mount Food Drive Saturday, Ask Pasadenans to Put Out Food Donations Near Their Mailbox

The National Association of Letter Carriers is holding its 30th Annual “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive on Saturday, May 14, aiming to collect food donations that will be given to local food banks in support of their campaign to feed the hungry.

Throughout the day, U.S. Postal Service customers can leave their non-perishable food donations in a bag near their mailbox before their letter carrier arrives. Leading up to the food driver, letter carriers have been delivering special bags,  along with your mail, that may be used to make donations.

Food collected during Saturday’s drive will be delivered to local community churches, food banks and food pantries for distribution. In Pasadena, the NALC lists Foothill Unity Center, at 191 N. Oak Ave. in Pasadena, as one of the local food banks they’re coordinating with.

“Letter carriers see the needs in their communities each day, and we respond each May by filling the shelves of local food pantries,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said last week in the NALC Bulletin. “Letter carriers across the country will, on May 14, once again collect donated food that residents leave by their mailboxes, to help families put food on their tables.”

For Los Angeles County, the U.S. Postal Service is kicking off the campaign with a launching event Saturday afternoon at the office of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, at 2130 James M. Wood Blvd. in Los Angeles.

While all non-perishable donations are welcome, foods that are high in protein, such as canned tuna, salmon, beans and peanut butter, are most needed, the NALC said. Canned fruits and vegetables, whole grain, low sugar cereals, macaroni and cheese dinners and 100-percent fruit juice also top the list of most needed items.

The NALC also lists items that should not be donated at all, including food in rusty or unlabeled cans, in glass containers, perishable items, homemade items, expired food items, noncommercial canned or packaged items, alcoholic beverages or mixes or soda, and opened or used items.

Other than food donations left beside your mailbox on Saturday, you may also donate online in support of the annual food drive-through: www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive/2022-donor-drive.

The NALC will make sure your donation goes to support your local food bank.

“As the need for food assistance is still more significant than ever, we want to allow everyone to continue to meet that need and help your local community food pantry or bank,” the NALC said. “The Stamp Out Hunger Donor Drive is a drive with a single mission – to feed the hungry in America, and as always, with your help, we will!”

For Los Angeles County, the U.S. Postal Service is kicking off the campaign with a launching event Saturday afternoon at the office of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, at 2130 James M. Wood Blvd. in Los Angeles.

To learn more about the NALC’s annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, visit www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive.