NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

In just a few days the 21st annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) food drive will take place across the country.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the food drive I’ll give you the basics. On the second Saturday of each May, US postal carriers collect non-perishable food items from mailboxes as they deliver their mail routes. The food is then donated to local food shelves. The NALC food drive is the largest one-day food drive in the country, and though it is coordinated by the NALC union, it is also participated in by members of the Rural Carrier union (NRLCA) and non-union member carriers. In the days before the drive you can look for postcards in your mailboxes with guidelines for making a donation. Some offices will also deliver blue plastic grocery bags with the food drive’s logo, “Stamp out Hunger,” provided by Campbell’s Soup Company.

It is asked that all donations are non-perishable, unopened, not expired, and not in glass jars. Put donations into any plastic bag in or near your mailbox on Saturday, May 11th, 2013. Carriers in Northfield and Dundas will also accept clearly marked checks written to The Northfield Community Action Center. No cash or non-food donations will be accepted. If you do not receive street delivery, donations will also be accepted at the Northfield Post Office on Bridge Square from 9am to noon, and at the Carleton College Campus Post Office in the Sayles-Hill Lobby between 10am and 2pm on the day of the food drive.

On the NALC website, Union President Fredric Rolando said, “When we decided to take our food drive nationwide more than two decades ago, food banks and community service organizations told us that the best time for us to do it would be when people aren’t really thinking about it—to remind people that, sadly, the need for food is year-round. In November and December— around the holidays—many folks get caught up in a spirit of giving, so food pantries and other such organization see a major upswing in food donations,” he said. “But by May, their shelves begin to empty out. Plus, many disadvantaged children, who depend on their schools for breakfast and lunch will soon be on summer break, losing access to those free or subsidized meals, and that places increased pressure on food pantries and similar charitable organizations.”

Thanks to everyone at the Northfield and Dundas Post Offices, Carelton College Post Office, The Northfield Community Action Center, and especially to all of you for donating. When we work together we can do big things.

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 11 — rain, shine, or snow!