Letter to the Editor: Letter carriers work to Stamp Out Hunger

May 13 marks the 31st anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving — the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many — hunger.

So, each year, on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect nonperishable food donations from our customers. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in the local community who need our help. Food collected is distributed within the city in which it was collected. You are helping your neighbor.

Over the course of its 30-year history, the drive has collected well over 1.82 billion pounds of food, thanks to a postal service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2022, carriers collected 159,421 pounds of food in Delaware alone due to your help.

The need for food donations is great. Currently, more than 42 million Americans are unsure where their next meal is coming from. More than 12 million are children, who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 5.2 million seniors over age 60 are food-insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

Our 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.

Participating in this year’s Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is simple. Just leave a nonperishable food donation in a bag by your mailbox May 13, and your letter carrier will do the rest. With your help, letter carriers and the U.S. Postal Service have collected over 1.82 billion pounds of food in the United States over the 30 years as a national food drive. Please help us in our fight to end hunger, as we celebrate our 31st anniversary year of America’s great day of giving.

Claire Anderson

Letter carrier

Dover