Stamp Out Hunger Post Office Day 2015

In an emotional interview with Glamour magazine , actress Viola Davis described the pain she suffered as a child, a pain nearly 17 million children in America still suffer, “I was always so hungry and ashamed, I couldn’t tap into my potential. [My hunger prevented me from getting] at the business of being me.” Now a famous actress, Davis has helped a new campaign (Hunter Is) by the Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to raise over $4.5 million. As Davis powerfully stated, “This is the richest country in the world. There’s no reason kids should be going to school hungry. Food is something that everyone should have…I was affected by hunger — and many people still are.” In fact, an astounding 49.1 million Americans live in food-insecure households (33.3 million adults and 15.8 million children).

To help combat hunger and reduce the numbers of Americans living in food insecure households, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) is continuing its annual food drive, now in its twenty-third year. As described in a press release posted to the United States Postal Service’s website, “Every second Saturday in May (May 9 in 2015), letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America collect the goodness and compassion of their postal customers, who participate in the NALC Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive.” According to the statement, this is the largest single-day food drive in the nation and has “delivered more than one billion pounds of food the past 22 years” and in 2014 alone, 72.5 million pounds of food was collected.

Approximately 1,500 NALC branches from all 50 states participate in the drive, and the organization has also received the support of the United States Postal Service, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Feeding America, United Way, Valpak Direct Marketing Systems and other companies that are doing their part to support struggling Americans. To participate in the drive, all you need to do is to place a can or box of non-perishable food near your mailbox on Saturday, May 9.

For “Frequently Asked Questions” about the drive, you can also visit the website for the NALC. The organization covers importantly logistics such as the use of special bags to place the food items instead of (not needed), or what to do if food is not picked up. In the case that food is not picked up, the NALC website provides an outgoing link to determine the location of nearby food banks, any of which would greatly appreciate all donations.

(Photo courtesy of FoodBankCENC)