ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The National Association of Letter Carriers will hold its 33rd annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive Saturday, May 10, to support MANNA FoodBank and ongoing recovery efforts in Western North Carolina following the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene.
The event, billed as the nation’s largest one-day food drive, comes as thousands in the region continue to rebuild from severe flooding.
“We are still seeing more than 170,000 neighbors seek food assistance every month, including many people who have never needed assistance before,” MANNA FoodBank CEO Dr. Claire Neal said in a news release. “The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive couldn’t have come at a better time. Every bag left at a mailbox this Saturday helps us keep food and resources going out to communities that are still rebuilding.”
Residents who receive a blue “Stamp Out Hunger” postcard this week are encouraged to place a sturdy bag of nonperishable food by their mailbox before their mail is delivered Saturday. Suggested donations include canned vegetables, fruits, soups, meats and fish, as well as peanut butter, pasta, rice and cereal. Organizers ask that donors avoid glass containers and items that are opened or expired. Letter carriers will collect donations along their routes and deliver them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches.
“Our local letter carriers are honored to play a part in the long-term recovery,” Tavon Wells, president of NALC Branch 248 in Western North Carolina, said in the news release. “We’ve watched entire towns pull together after the storm, and this is one more way we can make sure no family goes hungry.”
Over the past seven months, MANNA FoodBank has distributed more than 12 million pounds of emergency food and supplies across its 16-county service area and the Qualla Boundary, focusing on the communities hardest hit by the storm. The need remains high as summer approaches — a season when donations traditionally slow and children lose access to school meals.
For MANNA, Stamp Out Hunger is one of its four largest annual food drives and a vital source of shelf-stable items. Last year, letter carriers in WNC collected 24,193 pounds of food in a single day.
“Helene wiped out thousands of pounds of shelf-stable food that normally helps carry us through the summer,” Lisa Reynolds, MANNA’s director of food sourcing, said in the release. “Saturday’s drive is our chance to rebuild those reserves for the long road ahead—because recovery isn’t measured in weeks, it’s measured in meals. Your donations to the Letter Carrier’s Food Drive on May 10th will be heading directly to local families in WNC communities.”
People with questions about the drive in their area can ask their letter carrier, contact their local post office or visit nalc.org/food-drive, facebook.com/StampOutHunger or twitter.com/StampOutHunger.