The National Association of Letter Carriers will hold its annual, nationwide Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive for MANNA FoodBank on May 10. Now in its 33rd year, the country’s largest one-day food drive arrives at a pivotal moment for Western North Carolina as communities continue to rebuild after devastating flooding from Tropical Storm Helene.
“We are still seeing more than 170,000 neighbors seek food assistance every month, including many people that have never needed assistance before,” said Dr. Claire Neal, Chief Executive Officer of MANNA FoodBank. “The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive couldn’t have come at a better time. Every bag left at a mailbox this Saturday helps us keep food and resources going out to communities that are still rebuilding.”
Local residents who receive a blue “Stamp Out Hunger” postcard this week are encouraged to place a sturdy bag of non-perishable food next to their mailbox before their Saturday mail delivery on May 10. Suggested items include canned vegetables, fruits, soups, meats and fish, peanut butter, pasta, rice and cereal. Please avoid glass containers or items that are opened or expired. Letter carriers will pick up the donations along their routes and deliver them to regional food banks, pantries, shelters and churches.
“Our local letter carriers are honored to play a part in the long-term recovery,” said Tavon Wells, president of Branch 248 NALC WNC. “We’ve watched entire towns pull together after the storm, and this is one more way we can make sure no family goes hungry.”
Over the past seven months, MANNA FoodBank has distributed more than 12 million pounds of emergency food and resources across its 16-county service region in WNC and the Qualla Boundary, with a focus on the hardest hit communities. These unprecedented relief efforts are crucial just as summer approaches — a season when donations are traditionally slow, and children lose access to school meals.
For MANNA, Stamp Out Hunger is one of its “Big 4” annual food drives and a vital source of shelf stable food. Last year WNC letter carriers collected 24,193 pounds in a single day.
“Helene wiped out thousands of pounds of shelf stable food that normally helps carry us through the summer,” added Lisa Reynolds, MANNA’s Director of Food Sourcing. “Saturday’s drive is our chance to rebuild those reserves for the long road ahead — because recovery isn’t measured in weeks, it’s measured in meals. Your donations to the Letter Carrier’s Food Drive on May 10 will be heading directly to local families in WNC communities.”
People with questions about the drive in their area can ask their letter carrier, contact their local post office, or visit nalc.org/food drive, facebook.com/StampOutHunger or twitter.com/StampOutHunger.
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