The National Association of Letter Carriers will hold their 21st annual national “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive on Saturday, May 11.   For city and rural route letter carriers in Live Oak, McAlpin, Wellborn, Branford, O’Brien and other county post offices in Suwannee County,  this will be the 21st year the letter carriers and their customers have participated in this annual event which helps stock the food bank and agency food pantries across Columbia County.  NALC Member Rick McManaway and Postmaster Blair Beaty are coordinating the event for the Live Oak Post Office.

            Each year United Way Worldwide partners with the National Association of Letter Carriers and  Feeding America to address hunger by providing food to those most in need.  It is the largest one-day effort to combat hunger in the United States with millions of families participating and thousands of letter carriers, postal employees and volunteers collecting the donations. Locally, United Way of Suwannee Valley coordinates the effort with the local post offices and agencies which receive the contributed food.   

            The Live Oak letter carriers last year hauled in more than 12,195 pounds of food from their customers’ residences to the loading docks of the post offices.  Participating agencies include Love INC, Vivid Visions domestic violence center, The Arc North Florida, which has group homes for citizens with developmental disabilities, and local churches with food pantries.

            “People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food such as canned soup, vegetables, meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mail box before the regular delivery on Saturday.” Postmaster Blair Beaty said. “These would include canned tuna or chicken as well as canned stews and peanut butter. Please do not include any glass or perishable items.”

 Carriers will bring the food to local food pantries and shelters.  Assisting 1,400 NALC Branches will be rural letter carriers and other postal employees, plus members of other unions and civic volunteers. Other national partners are Campbell Soup Co., AARP, Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Valassis/Red Plum, the US Postal Service, United Way Worldwide, the AFL – CIO, Uncle Bob’s Self Storage, GLS Companies, Source Direct Plastics and the Publix grocery store chain.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has never been more important than in these times, with hunger a growing problem – affecting about 50 million people around the country, including 17 million children and nine million seniors.  The donation of food not only provides the agencies with food to assist their clients but also saves agency funds that can then be utilized otherwise.

United Way of Suwannee Valley is a community impact and fundraising organization which, utilizing volunteers on all levels, advances the common good by identifying unmet community needs and seeking to alleviate those needs through United Way of Suwannee Valley initiatives and the funding of 21 affiliated health and human service agencies.