NALC: Letter Carriers annual food drive was a success for the hungry
Filed under: letter carriers, NALC, postal, postal news, press releases, usps
With Hunger Rising, and School Food Programs Ending, Effort Will Help Feed Needy Families in All 50 States
June 4 – In another successful nationwide food drive, the National Association of Letter Carriers collected 70.2 million pounds of food on May 14, at a time when hunger is a growing problem.
The NALC’s annual one-day drive, largest in the nation, is held on the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. This was the 19th annual NALC Food Drive to stamp out hunger.
“Six days a week, letter carriers see first-hand the needs in the communities they work in, and we’re privileged to be able to help the needy and to lead an effort that brings out the best in so many Americans,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. Non-perishable donations residents left near their mail boxes were collected by the nation’s 230,000 letter carriers as they delivered mail.
This was the eighth consecutive drive surpassing 70 million pounds. Last year’s record collection of 77.1 million pounds pushed the total past the one-billion-pound mark, and the total since the drive began in 1993 now stands at 1,130,000,000 pounds. The slight downturn this year is related to the tough economy – which makes the drive all the more important.
About 50 million Americans – including 17 million children – now live in families that lack sufficient food. With most school lunch programs suspended during summer months, millions of children must find alternate sources of nutrition.
“This drive allows letter carriers to help revitalize food banks during difficult summer months when children have no school breakfast or lunch programs to count on,” NALC’s Community Service Coordinator Linda Giordano said.
The top five local NALC branch collections:
- Branch 1477 West Coast Florida Merged (1,770,814 pounds)
- Branch 599 Tampa, FL. (1,729,382)
- Branch 458 Oklahoma City, OK (1,485,118)
- Branch 3 Buffalo, NY (1,383,220)
- Branch 1100 Garden Grove, CA (1,112,083).
Carriers around the country brought the food from their routes on Saturday May 14 to local food banks, pantries or shelters, including many affiliated with Feeding America, a national partner in the drive.
Assisting 1,400 local NALC branches were rural letter carriers and other postal employees, plus members of other unions and civic volunteers.
Other national partners were Campbell Soup Co., the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Valpak, the U.S. Postal Service, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO and Uncle Bob’s Self Storage.
source: National Association of Letter Carriers
USPS and Letter Carriers Team Up For Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
WASHINGTON — On Saturday, May 14, the U.S. Postal Service will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to provide assistance to America’s families struggling to put food on their tables every day. Last year the Stamp Out Hunger food drive collected a record 77.1 million pounds of food donations, pushing the 18-year total to more than one billion pounds of food. Read more
Postal Rural Carriers Become National Partner In NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
New ‘Family Circus’ Artwork Arrives for May 8 Promotion
The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA), which has been a longtime supporter of the NALC National Food Drive in many locales across the country, has accepted an invitation by NALC President Fred Rolando to become a full national partner in the May 8 drive to “Stamp Out Hunger.”
With the new national role, NRLCA will assist NALC and the drive’s other co-sponsors in promoting the volunteer collection of non-perishable food on the second Saturday in May, encourage increased participation by rural carriers in the effort, and help deliver donations to local food banks, pantries and shelters.
NRLCA’s logo will appear on national publications and other promotional materials of the drive alongside those of the other national partners: the U.S. Postal Service; Campbell Soup Company; Valpak; the AFL-CIO; United Way Worldwide and its local United Ways; and Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network.
Announcement of the new alliance between NALC and the NRLCA came as famed newspaper cartoonists Bil and Jeff Keane again provided the drive with special artwork to help alert citizens of the May 8 collection. Hundreds of NALC branches have already registered to participate in the food drive which stands on the cusp of breaking the 1 billion-pound mark in donations over the history of the 18-year-old humanitarian effort.
As the NALC Bulletin went to press, the number of registered branches for the 2010 drive stood at 474. Branches that have not yet registered are urged to as soon as possible in order that materials can be sent to them to assist in their local drive. There is a January 25 deadline for receipt of branch registration forms.
“After several years of participating in the NALC food drive in a very limited capacity, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association is extremely excited by the invitation from President Rolando and the NALC to have a greater role in the NALC food drive,” Cantriel said. “We look forward to becoming a more active partner in the whole process and working closely with our brothers and sisters of the NALC for a very worthy cause.”
President Rolando, noting the severe situation that still exists in the nation’s economy and resultant jump in the number of food insecure Americans to more than 49 million, has asked all branches to redouble their efforts to surpass last year’s record collection of 73.4 million pounds, and push past the 1 billion-pound mark since the national drive began in 1993.
“There are millions and millions of fellow Americans who do not have jobs right now, or if they do, the wages are low, the benefits meager, and the security non-existent,” Rolando said. “Members of our great union have come to their aid in the past, and we must do it again. I urge all branches – however small or large – to sign up and be part of this great humanitarian effort on May 8.”
Questions regarding the food drive should be directed to Drew Von Bergen, national coordinator, at vonbergen [at]nalc.org.
source: NALC News Bulletin