Farm Share leads Florida’s push to help ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ with mailbox food drive

MIAMI — Farm Share, Florida’s largest independent food bank, invites Floridians to participate in the nation’s largest one-day food drive this Saturday, May 10, by placing a bag of nonperishable food items by their mailboxes. The Farm Share team will then gather the donations collected by local mail carriers around the state and distribute them to families in need across Florida’s 67 counties.

The annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nationwide effort to help fight food insecurity by connecting the nation’s network of mail carriers with local food banks. Since launching in 1993, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) has grown the event into the largest single-day food drive in the world, collecting more than 1.82 billion pounds of food over the past 30 years.

Farm Share has proudly served as NALC’s official statewide partner in Florida since 2017. Last year, Florida led the nation in food donations, with Tampa ranked the #1 city in the country for collections.

“Every day, we hear from families who are doing everything right but still can’t keep up — whether it’s groceries, rent, or medical bills, the costs keep rising and the safety nets are shrinking,” said Stephen Shelley, CEO of Farm Share. “We know times are uncertain, and no one is immune to hardship. That’s why Farm Share is here for anyone who needs a helping hand — and why events like Stamp Out Hunger are so important. When neighbors come together to look out for each other, it reminds us that even in the hardest moments, community is our greatest strength.”

Floridians who wish to participate are asked to fill a handled bag with nonperishable food items – such as canned goods, beans, pasta, rice, powdered milk, and cooking oils – and place it next to their mailbox on Saturday, May 10, for their mail carrier to pick up.

Last year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive brought in just under 8 million pounds of food statewide, all distributed by Farm Share to families in need. Since 2017, Farm Share has received and distributed nearly 45 million pounds of donations through this partnership. Previous years’ totals include 10 million pounds in 2018, 11.5 million pounds in 2019, and 10 million pounds in 2023.