Stamp Out Hunger - Today!
On Saturday, May 9, Putnam County letter carriers will collect food donations to benefit the one in eight Americans who struggle with hunger during the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) 17th Annual Stamp Out Hunger! food drive.
Beyond the Call of Duty…
The Stamp Out Hunger! drive is a nationwide effort to provide food to local food banks and pantries, which would otherwise have depleted stocks during the summer months, to help feed the hungry on a daily basis.
The nation’s 230,000 letter carriers will be collecting food donations in more than 10,000 local communities and delivering them to local food banks and other hunger relief organizations.
Last year the letter carriers collected a record total of more than 73.1 million pounds of food from generous Americans, surpassing the previous record of 71.3 million pounds collected in 2005 and bringing the impressive total for the drive’s 16 years to more than 909 million pounds.
As part of its support for the drive, Campbell Soup Company will donate one million pounds of food to food banks across the country and is sponsoring a reminder postcard mailing sent to 120 million homes.
The Face of Hunger…
One in eight Americans struggle with hunger today. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 36.2 million Americans live in food insecure households, and approximately one in every three of these Americans is a child.
A recent survey conducted by Feeding America of their food bank members reported a 30 percent increase in requests for emergency food assistance. The most prominent contributors to increases in demand included rising cost of food, increasing unemployment and underemployment, the cost of fuel and mortgage/rent costs.
You Can Help…
Helping Stamp Out Hunger! in Putnam County is as easy as checking your mailbox. Just leave a bag of non-perishable food where your letter carrier normally delivers your mail. Your letter carrier will then pick up and deliver the food to a local food bank. Examples of non-perishable items include:
- Canned soup
- Canned meats and fish
- Canned juices
- Canned vegetables and fruits
- Boxed goods (such as cereal)
- Pasta and rice
If you’ve stumbled across this post a little too late but still want to give, you can donate directly to our local food pantry hosted by Forrest Burdette Memorial Church. From their website:
The Christian Community Cupboard is located at 2845 Virginia Avenue in Hurricane, behind Forrest Burdette United Methodist Church. Hours are Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:00 to noon. The Forrest Burdette representative, Eddie Ellison, may be reached at 743-9832.
Time to take my bag of food to the mailbox before I forget!
