*Originally published May 9. Republished May 11 as a timely reminder.
MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – For more than three decades, the National Association of Letter Carriers has committed to combating hunger across the country with the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. The idea is to make it easy for you to donate to local food pantries. All you have to do is leave non-perishable goods at your mailbox and postal carriers do the rest. This year, the annual food drive is Saturday, May 11.
Marion County is known for staging one of the largest food drives in the history of this community-led initiative. The county once held a national record for the sheer volume of food collected in a single day.
“So, we kind of slipped off of that,” said Karla Greenway, CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services (IES). The IES food pantry is a beneficiary of this year’s food drive. “COVID kind of threw us off and now we’re trying to build it back up.”
Compounded by the influx of newcomers, Greenway says that the task of getting information out about the food drive has become considerably more challenging.
As Saturday approaches, Greenway asks that you contribute anything from canned goods to boxed meals by placing them beside your mailbox. Local postal workers will collect your donations and distribute them to IES and a few other local pantries.
Greenway adds that this summer could be more challenging than others. “The public schools usually have feeding sites for those children that are on free and reduced lunch during the year and they can go during the summer and get food,” she explained. “This year, from what I understand, that has not been funded. So, I think there’s going to be a greater need this summer. So, I’m really pushing it because I feel like I just feel it coming; we’re going to have a lot of families this summer needing help.”
That’s why Greenway is urging you to step up. “I need everybody to put one or two cans out by the mailbox,” she said. “With as many people as we have in Marion County, if everybody just does a couple of cans or a couple of boxes of mac and cheese, it will make a huge impact.”
While all kinds of food contributions are appreciated, Greenway says the IES food pantry shelves often run low on staple items essential for maintaining a balanced diet. That includes items like peanut butter, jelly, pasta, pasta sauce, and canned meats. She adds that they also value food options like mac and cheese and various kinds of cereal.
Greenway says that as long as your donations are placed by your mailbox on Saturday, May 11, the letter carriers will pick them up. Those with post office boxes can even leave their donations directly at the post office.
“I try to tell everybody to get it out by 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning,” Greenway said. “The truth is, this actually slows them down.”
So even though some letter carriers may not be able to get to your house for pickup until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, it’s best to put your donation out early – just in case.
Greenway urges everyone in the 352 to participate and help make a difference. “We want to win the game,” she said. “We want to be number one again.”
Greenway says she has a lot of appreciation and respect for our letter carriers, calling them “community heroes” in the drive to Stamp Out Hunger.