Community unites to feed the hungry through annual postal service food drive.
SAN DIEGO — Letter carriers across the country collected food donations on Saturday as part of the 33rd annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the largest single-day food drive in the United States. The event, organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), aims to address hunger in local communities.
In Linda Vista, letter carrier Armando Real participated in the drive while completing his usual mail route.
“So far, I picked up three bags,” Real said. “They were left on the curb, pretty easy to locate. Some people left on the doorstep. So we could send these to the food bank for the food drive.”
The U.S. Postal Service reports that one in ten Americans faces hunger daily. This annual food drive provides critical support to local food banks and pantries, particularly during the summer months when supplies typically run low.
“It’s always a surprise how much the community gives back every year,” said Real, who has participated in the drive for 18 years. “You never know who’s going to give. And just at the end of the day, when I have a full truck, it just puts a smile on my face.”
“It’s our all of our postal letter carriers are picking up food today that people donate it all stays locally to our local food banks, our food pantries,” said John Hyatt, communications specialist for the U.S. Postal Service. “Summer time is when food banks are generally, typically very low on supply.”
Last year, the San Diego region collected more than 500,000 pounds of food during the drive. This year’s totals will be available next month. The San Diego Food Bank reported that these donations provide a crucial boost to their inventory, which typically decreases after the holiday season.
Volunteers assist in unloading, sorting, and inspecting the donations at warehouses before they are distributed to families in need within the community.
For those who missed the opportunity to donate during the event, organizers have provided a QR code on the donation bags that allows for virtual contributions to be counted as part of the day’s totals.
发表回复