PRESS RELEASE:
Saturday, May 14 marks the 24th anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving – the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many: Hunger. In WNC alone, 1 in 5 people suffer from hunger. Children are even more vulnerable: 1 in 4 kids in WNC don’t have access to enough food for healthy development.
Each year, on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations from the community. These donations go directly to local food banks and pantries here in WNC, including MANNA FoodBank and a number of our partner pantries. In 2015, the Asheville Branch of Letter Carriers, Branch 248, and their Associate Offices collect over 205,000 lbs of food.
The timing of this food drive is crucial: Food banks often receive the majority of donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low of supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need. Summer time hunger is a major issue in WNC, and this food drive helps bridge the meal gap in the slower summer months.
Participating in this year’s Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is simple. Leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag by your mailbox on Saturday, May 14th and your letter carrier will do the rest. Please join us for this national day of giving, and help us Stamp Out Hunger!
Interview Contact: Cassandra Scott, NALC Food Drive Coordinator
Phone: (828) 712-9755
Email: nalc4evr@bellsouth.net
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.