NALC Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive

Help Stamp Out Hunger! On Saturday, May 8, 2010, the 18th annual National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) Food Drive will take place across the country. Every year, this highly anticipated event has brought hope, goodwill and sustenance to millions of people in need. The annual food drive has grown into the nation's largest one-day effort to help "Stamp Out Hunger" in America.

More now than ever, people around the country -- people in our own neighborhoods and towns -- are looking to us to help make a difference. This is when I feel most proud of the partnership between our brothers and sisters of the National Association of Letter Carriers and other supporting sponsors. This is when we all can say we made a difference in someone's life.

Just leave the donated food items in a sack by your mailbox this Saturday. When considering your donation, we ask that you avoid items packaged in glass; one broken jar can damage hundreds of other donations. In addition, please do not donate items that have gone past the expiration date. You can make your donation extra special by donating one or more of the high-protein and nutrient packed items such as peanut butter, canned meat, canned fish, beef stew, canned fruit or fruit juice and canned pasta with meat.

Gov. Mike Beebe says he's confident that Arkansans will respond big-time to the National Association of Letter Carriers’ drive to collect food for the hungry. Beebe spoke Wednesday at a news conference in Sherwood about the the 2010 Stamp Out Hunger food drive that takes place Saturday. That's the day Letter Carriers for the U.S. Postal Service will pick up donated non-perishable food items from mailboxes across the country. The food drive, which started in 1993, collected more than 73 million pounds of donated food last year, including 78,000 pounds from central Arkansas.

Summer is an especially high-risk period for hunger because many children in need are not receiving regular meals in school. Please give this food drive your full effort. Your commitment and support is what makes it a success year after year.