The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) teamed up with Feeding America Southwest Virginia and Food Lion to conduct Stamp Out Hunger, an annual food drive that took place on May 9th.
It’s part of the nation’s largest single-day food drive, held in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Last year letter carriers in the region collected 252,000 pounds of food along their postal routes.
On Saturday May 9th, letter carriers collected donations that residents left near their mailboxes as they delivered the mail.
“We’re honored to be able to help people in need by leading an effort that brings out the best in so many Americans,” said Jenny Hall, president of the NALC Branch 524 in Roanoke. “Six days a week, letter carriers see first-hand the needs in the communities where we work throughout southwest Virginia, and we’re committed to helping meet those needs with the public’s help.”
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is more important than ever. Pantry shelves that filled up over the holidays often are bare by late spring. And, with most school meal programs suspended during summer months, thousands of children in our region must find alternate sources of nutrition.
“The timing of the food drive is important, and that’s why we selected the second Saturday in May,” continued Hall. “This is a convenient way for everyone to give back and help those in need.”
The regional effort benefits food banks and pantries affiliated with Feeding America Southwest Virginia.
“We appreciate the commitment and vigor of letter carriers in the region to fight hunger close to home,” said Pamela Irvine, president and CEO of Feeding America Southwest Virginia. “Over the last five years, when many families struggled, Feeding America Southwest Virginia has striven to expand to meet the increase in demand throughout our 26-county region. Stamp Out Hunger is a critical annual event to ensure we can satisfy the increased needs of neighbors around the region.”
Food Lion Feeds, the sponsor of Stamp Out Hunger in Virginia, supplied the bags to be left in mailboxes, as well as contributing the first 10,000 meals to Feeding America Southwest Virginia the day before the event to kick off the campaign.
“This could not be done without the generous support of corporate sponsors like Food Lion,” Irvine added.
“Food Lion Feeds is proud to support the Stamp Out Hunger campaign in Roanoke,” said Rob Ward, Food Lion’s director of operations for the Roanoke area. “At Food Lion, we believe no one should have to choose between dinner and rent or gasoline and buying groceries. Campaigns like Stamp Out Hunger go a long way to helping to eliminate these choices for those struggling with hunger here in our community.”
One in eight people in Southwest Virginia struggle to put food on their table. The recently released Map the Meal Gap 2015 numbers show that 157,200 individuals in the FASWVA service area are food insecure. Of those, 50,250 or 21.2% are children.
To learn more about Stamp Out Hunger, please visit www.helpstampouthunger.com, www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, or www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.
