Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Reminder from NALC 'Stamp Out Hunger' National Food Drive:
“On the second Saturday of May each year, thousands of letter carriers step forward and join our co-workers, family members, friends and community partners to pick up those all-important and often heavy sacks of donated non-perishable food items left by mailboxes,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “To get us there takes the dedication of hundreds of branch food drive coordinators, who have spent the last few months ordering and mailing countless customer-reminder postcards, putting up food drive flyers and posters, and so much more—often after spending the day delivering the mail.”
“When we decided to take our food drive nationwide more than two decades ago, food banks and community service organizations told us that the best time for us to do it would be when people aren’t really thinking about it—to remind people that, sadly, the need for food is year-round.
“In November and December— around the holidays—many folks get caught up in a spirit of giving, so food pantries and other such organization see a major upswing in food donations,” he said. “But by May, their shelves begin to empty out.”
As men and women who touch every neighborhood in America six days a week, letter carriers far too often see first-hand how poverty and hunger affect the customers we serve.
“Plus, many disadvantaged children, who depend on their schools for breakfast and lunch, will soon be on summer break, losing access to those free or subsidized meals,” Rolando said, “and that places increased pressure on food pantries and similar charitable organizations.
“So on May 11, many of us might go home that night dealing with a few extra aches and pains,” he said,“but it’s all worth it when we remember that we’re helping to make sure someone will soon be getting the food they need, for themselves and their families.”
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