Mail carriers hoping for record food donations

On Saturday, Kilgore letter carriers, both city and rural, will again help Stamp Out Hunger! across America with your help.

Now in its 16th year, the Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive, with letter carriers having collected more than 836 million pounds of food from postal customers since its inception. All donations are delivered to community food banks, pantries and shelters.

Supporting the USPS-National Association of Letter Carriers with the food drive again this year are Campbell Soup Company, America's Second Harvest - the Nation's Food Bank Network at the North Texas Food Bank, Valpak - Cox Target Media, the AFL-CIO and United Way of America.

To help Stamp Out Hunger! In Kilgore this year, participants simply leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on May 10. Good items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans. Local letter carriers will then collect donations from homes across the city and deliver them to Helping Hands of Kilgore, our local food bank.

"Hunger continues to be a vital concern in the United States," said William H. Young, HALC president. "We see it in our everyday lives and on many of the routes we walk every day. Yet with donations from our generous customers and partners like Campbell Soup Company, Kroger Food, and local food banks, who we've now been working with for over 10 years, I know we can help a significant number of people fight the battle against hunger."

According to America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, more than 35 million people are food insecure, hungry or at risk of hunger. Approximately one in four people in a soup kitchen line is a child.

Last year, the NALC Food Drive collected 32 million pounds of food. North Texas food Bank distributed this food to 764 feeding and education programs in 13 North Texas counties, including after-school programs, residential treatment programs, food pantries, emergency shelters, soup kitchens, senior citizen centers and lowincome daycare centers.

"Postal carriers are a vital thread in every community throughout the United States. That is why our response to this socio-economic need is so extremely important," said Tom Doherty, food drive coordinator. "Our goal this year is to collect more than 10,000 pounds and our carriers are committed to exceeding this goal to answer the call to STAMP OUT HUNGER! We are counting on the community to help us Stamp Out Hunger! By filling up the sack on Saturday, May 10!"