SAN FRANCISCO – When Tony Cortese, the late president of Local Branch 193 of the National Association of Letter Carriers, decided to ask his branch members to collect food in San Jose and parts of Santa Clara County 23 years ago, little did he know that it would become the largest single-day food drive in the country. U.S. Postal Service letter carriers care about the people in the communities they serve, and on Saturday, May 9, 2015, they will once again do more than deliver the mail. They will also collect non-perishable food donations as they make their appointed rounds.
Hosted each year by the National Association of Letter Carriers, Stamp Out Hunger helps to support local food banks that strive to feed the one in six Americans who struggle with hunger. Because letter carriers deliver to every residential address in the country, they have become the most reliable agents to collect food.
Residents around the Bay Area can participate by leaving non-perishable food items in a sturdy bag near their mailboxes on May 9. Letter carriers will collect the food donations for local food banks, including the Second Harvest Food Bank. Food donations will be distributed to those facing hunger right here in the Bay Area.
“Stamp Out Hunger is like no other food drive,” said John Beaumont, California State President, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC).
“It allows every community across the country to collectively come together on one day to do their part to fight hunger. We are so grateful to community members who donate non-perishable items and for the letter carriers who take the time to collect each bag to help fight hunger around the county.”
According to Feeding America’s recently released “Map the Meal Gap 2015”study, 49 million or one in six Americans are food deprived. Of that, 4.8 million seniors (age 60+) and one in five children face food deprivation.
The Stamp Out Hunger food drive was created in 1993 by the NALC to encourage communities to come together in an effort to stock the shelves and pantries of food banks nationwide.
The Stamp Out Hunger food drive is held in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Last year, letter carriers collected more than 70 million pounds of food donations to be donated to their local food bank and pantries.
The Postal Service, AFL-CIO, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, United Way, Valassis and Valpak are all supporting this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive.
About Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger. Since its inception in 1974, Second Harvest has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to nearly a quarter of a million people each month. The Food Bank mobilizes individuals, companies, and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need. More than half of the food distributed is fresh produce. Second Harvest also plays a leading role in promoting federal nutrition programs and educating families on how to make healthier food choices.
About National Association of Letter Carriers
The 280,000-member NALC represents letter carriers across the country employed by the U.S. Postal Service, along with retired letter carriers. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, the Branch 193 NALC is among the country's oldest labor unions.
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