Here’s why you’d want to put food by your mailbox on May 10. Local food bank counts on it.

For many of you, a postcard arrived in your mailbox recently, perhaps stapled to a plastic bag. It asks you to leave some groceries by your mailbox on Saturday, May 10, for the letter carriers’ annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive.  

What’s the difference if you do or don’t? 

Here’s a look at this effort led by the National Association of Letter Carriers. 

Is this really the largest single food drive of the year? 

Yes. It is every year, including for many of the 10,000 or so other communities where it is held around the United States. 

In St. Joseph County, the food collections will go to the nonprofit Food Bank of Northern Indiana. In other counties, donations go to other food pantries and charities.

Every year, the Food Banks aims to gather 100,000 pounds of food, but the last time it surpassed that mark was in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. Stamp Out Hunger reaped 74,532 pounds for the Food Bank in 2024, 54,651 pounds in 2023 and 80,338 pounds in 2022.

This helps to restock the Food Bank shelves for the summer, when the need is high but food donations tend to be low. 

What is the level of need? 

The national Feeding America network reported in its “2024 Map the Meal Gap” that, for fiscal year 2022, there were 102,680 residents in northern Indiana (or 18.3%) who were food insecure and 38,690 residents in St. Joseph County (or 14.2%). 

How can you help? 

Leave nonperishable food items in a sturdy bag by your mailbox by 8 a.m. May 10. Use a plastic bag if rain is likely. Don’t include anything in glass containers. 

If you’re not home that day, you can drop off donations beforehand at the retail counter of any postal branch in St. Joseph County. Also before May 10, you can drop donations in orange Food Bank barrels at Martin’s Super Market locations in South Bend, Mishawaka and Granger. 

What are the most needed items? 

The Food Bank most needs canned soup, boxed dinner meals, dried beans and lentils, peanut butter, jelly, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, boxed noodles, spaghetti sauce, canned fruit (low sugar is preferred), canned vegetables (low sodium is preferred), canned chicken/tuna/Spam, rice, boxed mashed potatoes, toiletries, personal care items and cleaning supplies. No glass jars. Pop-top lids are preferred. 

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or [email protected].