JACKSON MS — On Saturday, May 9, residents across America will be asked to join the U.S. Postal Service and its delivery carriers to combat one of this nation’s growing problems — hunger, by leaving food at their mailboxes. This year is the 23rd anniversary of America’s largest single-day food drive — including Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Last year, 73 million pounds of food was collected by Postal carriers nationally, feeding an estimated 30 million people. More than 1.3 billion pounds of food has been collected since the drive began in 1993. Residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 9.

Carriers will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to their local food bank or pantry. Currently, 50 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 five million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

Participating Post Offices in Mississippi are Ackerman, Amory, Ashland, Baldwyn, Bay Saint Louis, Biloxi, Bogue Chitto, Booneville, Brandon (ZIP Code 39042 only), Brookhaven, Brooklyn, Burnsville, Carrollton, Carthage, Clarksdale, Cleveland, Coila, Columbia, Columbus, Corinth, DeKalb, D’ Iberville, Escatawpa, Foxworth, Fulton, Greenville, Greenwood, Grenada, Gautier, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Hazlehurst, Hernando, Holly Springs, Indianola, Iuka, Jackson, Kiln, Kokomo, Kosciusko, Leland, Long Beach, Louisville, Lumberton, Madison, Marks, McNeill, Moss Point, Natchez, Newton, North Carrollton, Noxapater, Ocean Springs, Olive Branch, Oxford, Pascagoula, Pass Christian, Pearl, Petal, Philadelphia, Picayune, Quitman, Ridgeland, Ripley, Ruleville, Ruth, Sardis, Saucier, Southaven, Starkville, Tupelo, Tylertown, Vicksburg, Walnut, Water Valley, and Wiggins.

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.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm. A complete list of the holiday shipping deadlines can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Postsblog (uspsblog.com).

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.