LIHU‘E — More than 240,000 mail carriers will lead the Postal Service’s effort to “Stamp Out Hunger” by collecting food donations throughout Hawai‘i and in cities and towns across the country on Saturday in the 19th annual National Association of
LIHU‘E — More than 240,000 mail carriers will lead the Postal Service’s effort to “Stamp Out Hunger” by collecting food donations throughout Hawai‘i and in cities and towns across the country on Saturday in the 19th annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive, a USPS news release states.
The drive is the nation’s largest one-day effort to combat hunger and is held to support the mission of community food banks such as the Hawai‘i Foodbank. Last year, more than 10,000 pounds of food was collected on Kaua‘i; the Kapa‘a Post Office led the way on the Garden Island with 4,346 pounds of food collected. More than 77 million pounds were collected nationwide last year; more than 1 billion pounds of food has been collected during the campaign’s first 18 years, the release states.
Residents are urged to place non-perishable food items next to their mailbox for pickup on Saturday before their usual mail pickup time. The mail carriers will then transport the donations back to their Post Offices where postal employees and their families will sort the food and deliver it to their nearest community food banks. Post Offices without residential delivery will be collecting items during the week leading up to Saturday.
“The NALC Food Drive is a big help because it always results in a lot of canned protein items, which are our ‘Most Wanted’ items.” said Mike Kajiwara, Hawai‘i Foodbank director of product donations. Kajiwara listed the following as the most desired food donations: canned meats or tuna, canned meals such as chili, stew or spaghetti, canned soups, and canned fruits and vegetables.
More than 183,500 people, including 55,000 children, receive emergency food each year through the Hawai‘i Foodbank network, an increase of 39 percent since 2006. A 2010 study cited by the Foodbank draws a clear link between the recent economic downturn and the increased need for emergency food assistance.
“This drive is a wonderful opportunity for us to demonstrate to our communities that our Postal Service does more than deliver the mail. It shows that we can make a positive difference and we truly care about helping others.” said Yoshikawa.
An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail, the release states.
