BOISE, ID – The Postal Service and its letter carriers will hold their annual food drive on Saturday, May 10. Idahoans are encouraged to participate by placing non-perishable food items in plastic bags and leaving them by their mailbox before mail delivery on May 10. All the food collected will go to local community food banks and pantries.
This is the 22nd year for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which has collected more than one billion pounds of food since its inception. Last year generous Americans donated 74 million pounds of food, including more than 350,000 pounds of food in the Gem state.
Examples of non-perishable items include: peanut butter, canned soup, canned meats, canned vegetables, fruits and juices, boxed goods (such as cereal), pasta and rice. Do not donate items that have expired or are in glass containers.
Currently, 49 million Americans—1 in 6—are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Sixteen million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.
The food drive’s timing is crucial. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
Some of the many Idaho Post Offices and letter carriers collecting food on their routes for those in need on May 10 include: Boise, Blackfoot, Buhl, Burley, Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Emmett, Gooding, Idaho Falls, Jerome, Lewiston, Malad City, Meridian, Mountain Home, Nampa, Pocatello, Rexburg, Sandpoint, St. Maries, Twin Falls and several other offices.
The food drive, an effort by the USPS, members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Rural Letter Carriers and other volunteers is the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Learn more about the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and Feeding America today!
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.###
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