Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Set For Saturday

Here’s an easy way to help eliminate hunger: On Saturday, leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag by the mailbox, and your postal carrier will see that the goods are delivered to those in need.

The initiative, the 2014 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, is a joint effort of the U.S. Postal Service, Campbell Soup, Feeding America and other partners. It is taking place across the United States and in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Organizers say that there are currently 49 million Americans – one in six  – who are unsure where they will get their next meal. Of those people, 16 million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

The food drive, however, can make a difference. In 2013, 74 million pounds of food was collected by postal carriers nationally, feeding an estimated 30 million people. Over the course of the 21-year history, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has collected well over one billion pounds of food.

The timing of the food drive is key, according to the Postal Service. With food banks and pantries receiving the bulk of their donations during Thanksgiving and Christmas, many pantries are depleted by spring. When summer arrives, food banks are often low on supplies when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.