Letter Carriers Doing Their Part to Stamp Out Hunger

This food drive is an easy one. As easy as putting out the mail. It's even easier, because you don't need a stamp.

On Saturday, May 12, Lemont letter carriers will join in the effort to Stamp Out Hunger, a nationwide effort to combat hunger.

To participate in the 20th Stamp Out Hunger food drive, residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 12.

All donations will be split between the food pantries at , 25 W. Custer St., and , 500 Lemont St.

May 12 marks the 20^th anniversary of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) food drive.

“For two decades now, our annual national drive has proved critical in helping millions of American families—our customers—who are struggling to make ends meet during this continuing recession,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said in a prepared statement.

The drive, considered the largest one-day food-collection event in the nation, has been a success every year, Rolando said, but the needs are particularly sad, even staggering, in 2012.

“Sixteen percent of all Americans are at risk of hunger—uncertain where their next meal may be coming from. That includes one in five children under the age of 18, plus four million seniors who are forced every day to choose between paying a utility bill and buying food,” he said.

There are currently more than 100 families who qualify for assistance through the Lemont Food Pantries. Families are able to visit both pantries once each month. They are also given a voucher to purchase fresh food—such as fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs and bread—at , 1100 State St.

Last year, letter carriers collected 70.2 million pounds of food during Stamp Out Hunger, raising the total amount of donations picked up over the history of the drive to more than 1.1 billion pounds, Rolando said.

“This year, we enter the drive amidst a ‘perfect storm’ of high unemployment, sky-high food and gasoline prices, unprecedented budget cuts to federal nutrition programs, limits on charitable-giving incentives and a decline in federal commodities,” Feeding America President Vicki Escarra said in a prepared statement. “Some of our larger food banks are reporting declines in food inventories of as much as 35 percent from last year."

The drive’s official national sponsors are the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Campbell Soup Company, Valpak, U.S. Postal Service, United Way, AFL-CIO, Feeding America, Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage and AARP.

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive www.helpstampouthunger.com.

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