Postal Workers, Community 
Take on Hunger

 

May 1, 2014

 

Letter carriers across the country will pick up food donations left by mailboxes on Saturday, May 10.

Letter carriers across the country are getting ready for the 22nd annual Letter Carriers’ Food Drive.

 

On Saturday, May 10, residents are asked to leave a bag of non-perishable food items by their mailbox. Letter carriers will pick up the items and deliver them to local food banks and pantries

“Too many people in this country are still going hungry every day,” said NALC President Fredric Rolando. “For more than two decades now, our members have taken the lead in the effort to help solve this ongoing national problem.”

Tough economic times means that hunger is a growing issue in the U.S.

As USA Today reports:           

 49 million Americans are "food insecure" — people who sometimes eat less, go hungry or eat less nutritious meals because they can't afford to eat better. Almost a third of them are children.

Many “food insecure” Americans are full-time workers, who, because of stagnant wages and recent cuts to the federal food stamps benefits by Congress are having a harder and harder time keeping their kitchens stocked.

USA Today writes:

 Children's HealthWatch, a network of doctors and public health researchers who collect data on children up to 4 years old, says 29 percent of the households they track were at risk of hunger last year, compared with 25 percent the year before.

“No one in the richest country in world should go to bed hungry, especially the most vulnerable members of society,” said International President Edwin D. Hill. “I salute the NALC’s commitment to eradicating hunger, and encourage every IBEW member to do his or her part May 10.”

Click here for more information on the food drive.

And click below to watch a video about the drive: