Stamp Out Hunger this Saturday: How you can help

Stamp Out Hunger is taking place Saturday -- that’s what that brown paper bag in your mailbox was all about!

It’s easy to participate in this annual food drive spearheaded by the U.S. Postal Service.

Just take a few moments to peek into your cupboards or pantry for nonperishables that do not need to be refrigerated: unopened bags of rice, canned soups, meats and veggies, bottled juices, jars of peanut butter and boxes of cereal, pasta and cookies. (No glass items and no items that are past their expiration date.) You might also pick up some items on sale if you are planning to hit the supermarket today.

Use that brown paper bag to wrangle all those items and place it on your doorstep Saturday morning before your mail carrier is scheduled to arrive. He or she will take care of the rest.

Stamp Out Hunger is an annual food drive that takes place on the second Saturday in May. It benefits Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, which provides food assistance to 37 million Americans every year.

Millions of Americans struggle financially, and rely on food banks and pantries to feed their families. Last year, more than 70 million pounds of food were collected during the Stamp Out Hunger drive.

“The Stamp Out Hunger food drive is important for our local communities because it helps stock food banks and pantries for summer, a time when there’s an increased need for food assistance, especially for children who are out of school,” Fredric V. Rolando, president of the National Assn. of Letter Carriers, said in a news release.

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