Help stamp out hunger locally on Saturday

Published 7:00 am Friday, May 9, 2014

This Saturday you can help prevent hunger in the U.S. by simply placing non-perishable food items at your mailbox.

May 10, will be the 22nd time the United States Postal Service has conducted the nationwide effort to collect food donations that will benefit families in need.

The USPS does this by collecting those donations from the front of every home as they deliver the daily mail.

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There are millions of people in this nation who don’t have regular access to even the most basic sustenance. Food drives help provide those people with the food they need.

To participate in the drive is simple. All you need to do is place the items you would like to donate at your mailbox. As your friendly letter carrier brings your mail this Saturday, they will also collect your donation.

The event is the largest nationwide food drive, collecting food items from cities in all 50 states and even the territories of the United States.

Donated food items should be non-perishable and not have passed their sell by date. Such items should include canned goods such as soup, vegetables, meats and fish. Other items include pastas, peanut butter, rice and cereal. In order to donate items they should be left in a sturdy bag next to the mailbox before that day’s regular mail delivery.

Donations should not include glass jars or anything fragile.

After they are collected, the donations will be brought to local food banks where they will benefit people within this community. Last year the effort collected more than 30,000 pounds of food locally.

This event is a great way for the community to come together and pool resources in an effort to “stamp out hunger.”