BOISE, ID — The Postal Service and its letter carriers will hold their annual food drive on Saturday, May 14. 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 14. All the food collected will go to local community food banks and pantries.

This is the 24th year for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which has collected more than 1.4 billion pounds of food since its inception. Last year Americans donated 70.6 million pounds of food (377,768 in Idaho). According to feedingamerica.org, it is estimated 48 million Americans live in food insecure households, including 15.3 million children.

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.

“The food drive allows every community across the country to collectively come together on one day to do their part to fight hunger,” said USPS District Manager Darrell Stoke. “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 in Idaho.”

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 14 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.

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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