Postal Food Drive Delivers for the Hungry

From Stark County Hunger Taskforce: Helping feed the hungry in Stark County becomes as easy as mailing a letter on Saturday during the 25th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

To put food on the table of those struggling with food insecurity, simply place non-perishable food items by your mail box Saturday. Letter carriers will pick up the food and bring it directly to food pantries for distribution.

Plans call for Mayor Thomas Bernabei of Canton and County Commissioners Janet Weir Creighton, Richard Regula and Bill Smith to kick off the food drive Thursday with proclamations and donations from city and county offices.

Donated food goes to the Stark County Hunger Task Force network of more than 30 pantries throughout the county, which serves more than 29,000 residents each month with free groceries.
Spearheaded by National Association of Letter Carriers AFL-CIO Hall of Fame Branch No. 238, last year’s campaign delivered more than 50,000 pounds of food to the tables of local residents in need.

During the past six years, area letter carriers working their routes picked up nearly 300,000 pounds of food, which helped stock the shelves Stark County pantries.

“After a long winter, donations tend to be slow, and the Stamp Out Hunger campaign gives our pantries a greatly needed boost to food stocks on the shelves and ultimately to the food on the tables of our neighbors struggling to feed their families,” said Ralph Norton, SCHTF interim director.

“We commend the letter carriers and the US Postal Service for their dedication and hard work during this event, which provides wonderful support to help us distribute food to more than 29,000 of our neighbors every month,” he added. “We recognize all the extra work that picking up the food at the mail boxes and returning it to the post offices makes for carriers.”

The local carriers join National Association of Letter Carriers nationwide in donating their time during their normal duties of delivering mail to pick up the food for the hungry.

Nationwide, the drive has collected more than 1.5 billion pounds of good during the past 24 events.
Founded in 1981, Stark County Hunger Task Force at 408 9th St. SW, Canton, leads the battle against hunger in Stark County. Operating almost entirely on donations, SCHTF provides free groceries to an average of over 29,000 individuals every month through more than 30 food pantries, “Backpacks for Kids” programs and an emergency pantry. For more information, call330.455.6667 or visit SCHTF on line at www.starkhunger.org.

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