Postal workers are fighting hunger in eastern Idaho and they want your help
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IDAHO FALLS – Letter carriers walk through eastern Idaho cities every day, often coming face to face with the difficult realities in our communities. One of those realities is hunger.
Today, Saturday, May 12, the National Association of Letter Carriers is hosting their 26th annual Stamp out Hunger Food Drive, according a news release.
Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations from customers. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in Idaho Falls, Ammon, Rigby, Shelley and Salmon who need the help.
The food drive’s timing is crucial. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
To participate in this year’s food drive, the National Association of Letter Carriers is asking you to leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will do the rest.
“Please help us in our fight to end hunger, as we celebrate our 26th anniversary year in America’s great day of giving,” they said in a news release.
Last year, more than 75 million pounds of food nationally were collected nationally, feeding an estimated 64 million people. Over the course of its 25-year history, the drive has collected approximately 1.6 billion pounds of food, thanks to a postal service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands.