USPS & NALC Work Together on “Stamp Out Hunger®” to Benefit Local Food Banks
Letter Carriers Collect Food on May 12
The mission to collect and donate food to help America’s families in need is critical. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, more than one in six American households – 42 million individuals, including 13 million children and about five million people who are age 50 and older – do not have enough food to eat.
More striking is the fact as the end school year ends, hundreds of thousands of children will not have access to their school breakfast and lunch meals that are typically available when school is in session.
The U.S. Postal Service®, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and other national partners recognize the importance of this mission by convening one of America’s great days of giving, the annual NALC Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive. Saturday, May 12 marks the 26th anniversary of the drive.
On that day, Postal Service™ letter carriers across the country will collect non-perishable food donations from customers on their mail delivery routes. These donations go directly to local food banks and pantries to provide food to people in local communities throughout the nation.
NALC Food Drive Donations Help Many in Need
Last year, over 75 million pounds of food was collected from 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, feeding an estimated 30 million people. Since the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive began in 1993, total donations have surpassed 1.6 billion pounds of food.
The timing of the food drive is critical. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
Participating in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is simple. Just leave a non-perishable food donation in a paper or plastic bag by your mailbox on Saturday, May 12, and your letter carrier will do the rest.
Food Drive Tips
| Recommended non-perishable food items | |
| cheese or peanut butter crackers | dried fruits |
| beef jerky | peanut butter |
| applesauce | any kind of pasta |
| pudding | spaghetti sauce |
| fruit cups | canned vegetables and fruit (with pull top openings) |
| granola & Cereal bars | macaroni and cheese |
| single serving soups (with pull tab openings) | individually packaged chips/pretzels/snacks |
| single serving meal items | boxed drinks and juices |
| canned pasta meals | vienna sausages (with pull top lids) |
| power bars | toaster pastries |
| ramen noodles | individual packets of oatmeal |
| tomato juice | packaged plastic spoons |
| packaged nuts | gallon-size zipper storage bags |
| trail mix | canned Tuna |
| fruit snacks | bags of rice or beans |
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
STAMP OUT HUNGER® is a registered trademark of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and used with permission