Letter carriers stage food drive

By LARRY SHIELDS
SALEM — It is the largest food drive in the nation and area residents can help by leaving non-perishable food items out for letter carriers from area post offices to pick up.

The food items collected locally, stay in the local area, according to Brian Henderson, supervisor at the Salem Post Office.

Last year about 12,000 pounds was collected, Salem Postmaster Doug Jones said and Henderson said with difficult economic times local food pantries, banks and shelters are stretched to the maximum.

The drive averages about 10,000 pounds a year, he said.

An estimated 35 million people, including 12 million children, are at risk of hunger in American, according to the Help Stamp Out Hunger Web site.

Letter carriers in all 50 states and more than 10,000 cities and towns across the country are asked to collect the non-perishable food items that are donated for the largest annual one-day food drive.

The National Association of Letter Carriers said, “This drive is one way to help those in their own city or town who need help.”

Each year, customers are asked to place non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes before their letter carrier delivers the mail on the day of the drive.

The letter carrier does the rest, taking the food to the Post Office where it is sorted and delivered locally with the help of firefighters from the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 283 to area food banks.

The food drive is in it 16th year and is also supported by local United Ways, Cox Target Media and the AFL-CIO Community Services Network.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net