'Stamp Out Hunger' and Help the Southington Food Pantry

Letter carriers will be out in force this Saturday and while they will be delivering your mail, U.S. Postal workers will also be serving another purpose - helping to restock the Southington Food Pantry.

The 21st Annual "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive will take place this Saturday, May 11, and members of the National Association of Letter Carriers will collect non-perishable food donations while delivering mail. Proceeds from the collection in town will go to Southington Community Services to help restock the food pantry.

Participation in the food drive in easy; simply bag up any non-perishable foods available for delivery and place them near your mailbox on May 11. That’s all it takes to help make a difference.

And it will make a big difference, both locally and nationwide, according to the Stamp Out Hunger website.

“Currently, 50 million Americans — 1 in 6 — are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Children in these households feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 3 million seniors over age 65 must deal with hunger as well, with many who live on fixed incomes are often too embarrassed to ask for help,” the website states.

The collection last year, on the Stamp Out Hunger 20th Anniversary, saw more than 70 million pounds of food collected and helped feed an estimated 30 million people.

Over the course of its 20-year history, the drive has collected more than a billion pounds of food, thanks to the universal delivery network of the USPS that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Southington Community Services is also seeking volunteers to help collect and organize food from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 11, executive director Janet Mellon said.

For more information on Stamp Out Hunger, see the official website by clicking the link provided or see the most recent post by Southington Patch blogger E. Richard Fortunato.

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