Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Returns This Weekend

Postal workers across Central New York are hoping their mail bags are overstuffed on Saturday, especially after they've already emptied their bags of all mail.

The annual National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is held each year on the second Saturday in May, which is this Saturday, May 14. And, this year's marks the 30th year they'll be collecting.

It's the largest single-day food collection drive held in the United States each year, officials say.

In person collection of non-perishable food items has been canceled each of the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NALC officials say. Despite not being able to conduct the drive in 2020 and 2021, the need for food and the number of people who are classified as food insecure has only grown. During the Stamp Out Hunger food collection hiatus, NALC was still able to collect monetary donations for the cause.

How can you participate as the national food drive returns in 2022?

All you have to do is leave a bag of non-perishable food items next to your mailbox on Saturday morning (tomorrow morning) and your mail carrier will pick it up. From there, the food will distributed to local soup kitchens, food banks, shelter's and food agencies.

On a national level, NALC says the items collected by letter carriers is distributed to some 10,000 food agencies in the United States.

If you have any questions regarding the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, you can call the NALC Director of Community Services at 202-662-2489.