The National Association of Letter Carriers and local rural letter carriers held their annual national “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive on Saturday, May 14, and collected more than 32,000 pounds of non-perishable food from Columbia, Hamilton and Suwannee county postal customers served by the post offices in Branford, Fort White, Jasper, Jennings, Lake City, Live Oak, McAlpin, Wellborn and White Springs.

United Way was asked to become a partner in 1994 to provide the coordination between the local post offices and the food banks and agencies receiving the donated food. The U.S. Postal Service and Campbell Soup Company jointly provide full-color postcard fliers to encourage donations, while United Way of Suwannee Valley provides press releases to media contacts to promote the event.

The donated food collected totaled 16,926 pounds in Columbia County; 200 in Hamilton County and 15,000 in Suwannee County. Post office employees working with United Way to coordinate the event were John Yulee, NALC Member, Lake City Post Office; Steve Tehan, postmaster, and Rick McManaway, NALC member, Live Oak Post Office; James Simpson, postmaster, Jasper Post Office; Mary Sue Pittman, postmaster, Jennings; T.D. Jenkins, postmaster, White Springs; Cynthia Trisch, postmaster, Branford; Linda Webb, postmaster, McAlpin; Iva Carlton, postmaster, Wellborn; and Celest Rubanick, postmaster, Fort White Post Office.

The food drive comes at a crucial time of year for food needs in our community. It comes at a time of year when the holiday donations are depleted, yet the summer is coming, and the many children who depend on the school lunch program are out of school for the summer, increasing the demands on the agencies’ food source needs.

Agencies participating this year in Columbia County were Another Way, Christian Service Center, Catholic Charities of Columbia County, Food Bank of Suwannee Valley, Suwannee River Economic Council, On Eagles Wings and Suwannee Valley Rescue Mission. In Suwannee County, the donated food was distributed among churches participating with Love INC, a faith-based ministry which provides case management and coordination with local churches to assist those in need, and to Comprehensive Community Services. In Hamilton County the donated food was provided to local churches serving those in need and the Food Bank of Suwannee Valley, which, in turn, makes the food available to those agencies serving the food needs of their clients.

United Way of Suwannee Valley is a community impact and fundraising organization which, utilizing volunteers on all levels, identifies unmet community needs and seeks to alleviate those needs through United Way of Suwannee Valley initiatives and the funding of affiliated health and human service agencies.