The Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive Saturday, May 10

Saturday, May 10th, marks the 33rd anniversary of the largest one-day food drive in the nation – the National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive.

Letter carriers are in the communities they serve every day and often come face to face with a sad reality for far too many, hunger.

Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-donations from our customers. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people who need our help.

Participants are asked to leave the food items at their mailbox on May 10 in either the plastic bag the USPS provided previously or one that the customer provides. Volunteers will assist the letter carriers by also picking up donations. 

In advance of the May 10, nonperishables can be left in the large, marked bin in the lobby of the Marco Island Post Office, located at 600 E. Elkcam Circle. 

The donated food will ultimately be distributed to the Meals of Hope and Our Daily Bread Food Pantry for use here in Collier County. 

Over the course of its more than 30-year history, the drive has collected well over 1.9 billion pounds of food, thanks to a United States Postal Service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The need is great, but you can help. Currently, more than 44 million Americans are unsure where their next meal will come from. More than 14 million are children who feel hunger's impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. Nearly 5.5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

Our food drive's timing is crucial. Food banks and pantries often receive most of their donations during the winter holiday season. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact retired letter carrier Elliott Mascoop, who’s heading the effort on Marco, at 239-298-1339, or his wife Rivka, who’s assisting him, at 239-595-2932.