Corporate Communications

Stamping Out Hunger in America

On the second Saturday in May — May 9, 2009 — letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America will deliver much more than mail when they walk and drive along their postal routes. They also will collect the goodness and compassion of their postal customers par­ticipating in the 17th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive — the largest 1-day food drive in the nation, and probably the world.

The effort by letter carriers represented by the NALC, with the help of rural letter carriers, other postal employees, and numerous other volunteers has resulted in delivery of nearly 1 billion pounds of donations to community food banks and pantries over the past 16 years.

“This Stamp Out Hunger Drive is a tradition entering its 17th year of success, and has become the largest 1-day food drive in the country,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter. “The generosity of our customers has filled food banks and pantries all across the nation. Our employees will further demonstrate their powerful reach into each of their communities and how our assistance helps those in need.”

In 2008, the drive collected 73,113,915 pounds of food for the needy from postal customers. That brought the total for the first 16 years to 909 million pounds.

Letter carriers will collect nonperishable food donations left by mailboxes and in Post Offices™ and deliver them to local community food banks, pantries, and shelters. Nearly 1,500 local NALC branches in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands are involved in the drive.

Campbell Soup Company and the U. S. Postal Service® are major supporters again in 2009, cosponsoring the printing of 125 million postcards to encourage the general public to participate in the drive. Campbell Soup also ear­marked an additional 1-million-pound canned food dona­tion to the drive. Also returning as a major supporter is Cox Target Media and its Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, the nationwide direct mail marketing firm that promotes the drive on 40 million packets delivered to postal customers.

Some 35.5 million people face hunger every day in America, including more than 12 million children. This drive is one way people can help those right in their own city or town who need help.