Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Reminder from NALC 'Stamp Out Hunger' National Food Drive:
“On the second Saturday of May each year, thousands of letter carriers
step forward and join our co-workers, family members, friends and
community partners to pick up those all-important and often heavy
sacks of donated non-perishable food items left by mailboxes,” NALC
President Fredric Rolando said. “To get us there
takes the dedication of hundreds of branch food
drive coordinators, who have spent the last few months ordering and
mailing countless customer-reminder postcards, putting up food drive
flyers and posters, and so much more—often after spending the day
delivering the mail.”
“When we decided to take our food drive nationwide
more than two decades ago, food banks and community service
organizations told us that the best time for us to do it would be when
people aren’t really thinking about it—to remind people that, sadly,
the need for food is year-round.
“In November and December— around
the holidays—many folks get
caught up in a spirit of giving, so food pantries
and other such organization see a major upswing in food donations,” he
said. “But by May, their shelves begin to empty out.”
As men and women who touch every
neighborhood in America six days a week, letter carriers far too often
see first-hand how poverty and hunger affect the customers we serve.
“Plus, many disadvantaged children,
who depend on their schools for breakfast and lunch, will soon be on
summer break, losing access to those free or subsidized meals,”
Rolando said, “and that places increased pressure on food pantries and
similar charitable organizations.
“So on May 11, many of us might go home that night dealing with a few
extra aches and pains,” he said,“but it’s all worth it when we remember
that we’re helping to make sure someone will soon be getting the food
they need, for themselves and their families.”