Letter Carriers Urge Locals to Put Out Non-Perishable Food Donations on May 11

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) is gearing up for its 32nd annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, scheduled for Saturday, May 11. This nationwide event, the largest one-day food drive in the country, aims to combat hunger by collecting non-perishable food donations from postal customers.

Local letter carriers urge Pasadena postal customers to donate to the drive.

“Letter carriers travel through the communities daily, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many, hunger,” said Lawrence D. Brown Jr., President of NALC Branch 24 in Los Angeles. “… With your help, letter carriers and the US Postal Service have collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food in the United States over the 30 years as a national food drive.”

The drive’s timing is crucial, as many food banks and pantries are depleted by springtime, following the holiday season and during a period when school breakfast and lunch programs are unavailable to children in need.

 The drive targets the period of late spring when food banks typically experience shortages following the holiday season.

Participating in the food drive is simple: Residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food donations in a bag by their mailbox on May 11. Their letter carrier will collect the donations and ensure they reach local food pantries.

The drive addresses a critical need in the United States, where over 44 million Americans, including more than 13 million children and nearly 5.5 million seniors, reportedly face food insecurity.

The NALC emphasizes that all donations to the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive are tax-deductible, as the collected food is given directly to nonprofit charity food agencies within the community.

Donors interested in claiming their donations on their taxes should obtain the name, address, and tax identification number of the receiving agency from their local post office.

Since its inception in 1993, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has collected approximately 1.9 billion pounds of food, thanks to the efforts of letter carriers, volunteers, and communities across the United States, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.