Postal Service employees will do their part to combat hunger during this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive on Saturday, May 11.
The National Association of Letter Carriers leads the annual one-day drive with help from USPS and other partners.
During the drive, employees collect donations that are distributed to local food banks and pantries.
While all non-perishable donations are welcome, foods that are high in protein — including canned tuna, salmon, beans and peanut butter — are most needed. Canned fruits and vegetables, low-sugar cereals, macaroni and cheese dinners, and 100 percent fruit juice are also needed.
More than 1.6 billion pounds of food have been collected since the drive began in 1993 — including 71.6 million pounds last year — making Stamp Out Hunger the nation’s largest one-day food drive.
Stamp Out Hunger is held in the spring when many schools are preparing to suspend their breakfast and lunch programs for the summer, leaving millions of kids struggling to find alternative sources of nutrition.
Approximately 40 million people in the United States struggle with hunger, including about 12 million children, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.
The Stamp Out Hunger site has additional information, including a toolkit for participants, promotional materials, community engagement guidelines and more.