(Elmira, NY) – The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is encouraging residents to help stamp out hunger this Saturday, May 13, during the National Association of Letter Carriers national food drive. The Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive, the country’s largest single-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to neighbors in need. All donations stay local, going to the Food Bank, community
pantries and agencies. Last year, the Food Bank received more than 7,500 pounds of food from Stamp Out Hunger, which equates to more than 6,200 meals.
Residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods next to their mailbox by 9 a.m. on Saturday. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and will distribute them to local food agencies. Informational flyers will be delivered early this week and bags to be filled will be distributed Wednesday through Friday along carrier routes.
Most needed items are:
– canned fruits and vegetables
– peanut butter
– canned tuna and chicken
– dry pastas
– boxed macaroni and cheese
– canned soups
“This is our 31st year of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ the Stamp Out Hunger food drive event,” says Rodney Stanfield, local chapter president. “And it’s not just the homeless that need the food; it’s the elderly, retirees or the families with jobs that just don’t pay enough for them to afford the food. All people have to do to help is fill a sturdy bag of non-perishable food and leave it by their mailbox for the letter carrier to pick up and we’ll do what we do what we do best – deliver the food to that food to the local food bank. Your donation might just be helping a neighbor, friend, or even a relative.”
