Postal Carriers Aim to Stamp Out Hunger Here at Home

Mansfield Food Pantry will be the beneficiary of the Postal Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” event on Saturday, May 11th.

Households can participate by bagging non-expired and non-perishable food items early in the day next to their mailbox. Letter Carriers will pick up the food and deliver it to the Mansfield Food Pantry.

Once the donated food has been delivered, volunteers will assist with unloading, weighing, date checking, and storing the proceeds of the drive. As an entirely volunteer-run organization, we are grateful to those who choose to help out for the event. This year we will be joined by members of the town Select Board, including Chairwoman Diana Bren.

Chairwoman Bren states, “I enjoy volunteering to give back to an amazing town and community. I want to be able to do something that will help many families in the community. I also do this to show my kids being involved can be done in many different ways at different ages and different stages. The food pantry is an integral part of our community and needs volunteers to continue to be successful.”

In years past, thousands of pounds of food were donated, helping the pantry stock up for the summer months, and getting it into the hands of people in our community who need it the most.

The Pantry provides supplemental food items to approximately 150 individual households each week. Those households include working families, seniors with limited income, and individuals experiencing short-term food insecurity. Grocery prices in Massachusetts increased by 6.6% from November 2022 to November 2023, according to an analysis by Consumer Affairs, making it the state with the second-highest increase in prices in New England. Between 2022 and 2023, the pantry saw an astonishing near 23% increase in client visits.

To sign up for a shift, volunteers can visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MansfieldFoodPantry . All ages are welcome, but anyone under 14 will need to have a parent or guardian volunteer with them.