15th Annual Food Drive Will Feed
Thousands In The High Country
By Sherrie Norris
The upcoming Annual Letter Carriers Food Drive has
become the nation’s largest one-day effort to ‘Stamp
Out Hunger’ and will give everyone in The High Country
a chance to help take a bite out of an ever-present epidemic
that affects millions on a daily basis.
The National Association of Letter Carriers will conduct
its 15th annual food collection on Saturday, May 12 in all
50 states and U.S. jurisdictions. On that day, letter carriers
will collect non-perishable donations as they deliver mail
along their postal routes.
Last year, carriers collected 70.5 million pounds of food,
the third consecutive year the effort has exceeded 70 million
pounds. Closer to home, the success is just as impressive,
according to Compton Fortuna, executive director of The
Hunger & Health Coalition, Inc. of Boone. “In 2005,
7,800 pounds of food were collected. In 2006, the total
nearly doubled to 13,000 pounds. We have high hopes for
this year. We estimate that if every resident of Watauga
county donated two cans of food, we could collect nearly
80,000 pounds.” Fortuna states that in the course of
a month, her agency distributes “about 10,000 pounds
of non perishable food,” emphasizing the projected
amount could potentially fill the pantry for eight months!
Nationwide, the food will be collected in over 10,000 communities
by nearly 1,500 local branches of the postal union, along
with rural carriers and other volunteers. Donations will
be delivered to food banks, pantries and shelters that serve
the area where the donations are collected. Since its inception
in 1993, the nationwide drive has collected and delivered
over three-quarters of a billion pounds of food – 765.5
million pounds – to help hungry families. “Stamp
Out Hunger,” will take a big bite out of a problem
faced by over 30 million Americans who are affected by hunger
annually. Of those without a viable food source in our country
alone, nearly 13 million are children; 3 million are elderly
and unable to provide for themselves
The second Saturday of May was chosen for the food drive
because supplies from holiday gift-giving has begun to run
low in most food banks and officials are concerned that
as the school year ends, many children will not receive
adequate nourishment during the summer months.
To participate in this amazing food drive, simply place
non-perishable food items, such as canned soups and meats,
vegetables, juice, pasta, cereal and rice, in a bag next
to your mailboxes before regular mail delivery on Saturday
morning (May 12). Your mail carrier will collect the food
after which it will be taken to the community post offices
and then delivered to The Hunger & Health Coalition,
where it will be distributed to those in need.
The High Country is known for its generosity to others and
once again, we have a fantastic opportunity to help someone
less fortunate. Mark your calendars now for Saturday, May
12, as a day to share from your pantry. You will never miss
it. . .but someone on the receiving end will be so glad
that you gave.
Co-sponsors of the drive are the U.S. Postal Service, Campbell
Soup Company, Cox Target Media-Valpak, local United Ways,
the AFL-CIO, and America’s Second Harvest food bank
network. Further information is available at www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive. |
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