Mail carriers to collect food Saturday for Stamp Out Hunger Drive

May 3, 2010

Local letter carriers will be picking up donations for area food pantries on Saturday, during the 18th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Pocono residents can help by putting non-perishable food items in a grocery bag and placing it at their mailbox. In communities with cluster boxes, donations can be left on top of the boxes. Postcards on the food drive have been mailed out to residents in collection areas.

Stamp Out Hunger is coordinated by the National Association of Letter Carriers with support from the United States Postal Service, Campbell Soup Company, Valpak, Feeding America, United Way Worldwide and its individual United Ways. Locally, the United Way of Monroe County is a sponsor. The National Rural Letter Carriers Association is also assisting with the event.

Post offices in East Stroudsburg Borough, Strouds-burg and Mount Pocono are the main distribution/collection centers and contributions can also be brought there.

Post offices in Canadensis, Pocono Summit, Tannersville and Reeders are among outlying locations that will accept donations.

Besides downtown residents, rural residents with an East Stroudsburg or Stroudsburg mailing address can leave food at their mailbox.

Last year, 10,300 pounds of food were collected in East Stroudsburg and 10,500 pounds of donations were collected in Stroudsburg, according to Dan Murray, a letter carrier and food drive coordinator for the East Stroudsburg Post Office. Donations in 2009 were the second highest total in 17 years, he said.

“We expect to surpass the one billion pound mark nationwide,” said Murray, referring to how much food has been donated since the event began 18 years ago.

Items to be donated include canned meats and fish, soup, juice, pasta, canned vegetables, cereal, peanut butter, crackers and rice. Diapers, boxed baby food and paper goods are other options. Filled bags should be placed at mailboxes before letter carriers arrive.

“Donations are needed more than ever, with so many people having a tough time meeting their basic needs,” said Mathilda Sheptak, executive director of the United Way of Monroe County. “In this challenging economy, the demand for food assistance has been increasing.”

That has been evident in the reported shortage of many local food pantries.

Area nonprofits that will receive items for their pantries include the Salvation Army, Bushkill Outreach, Pleasant Valley Ecumenical, Top of the Mountain Ecumenical, Follow Me Foundation, Oasis of Love, Christian Awareness Ministries Ecumenical, Pocono Mountain Ecumenical Hunger Ministry, Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Smithfield Township.

“We thank everyone who can help us out by contributing some canned or boxed goods,” said Murray. “Items that have expired or are in glass containers should not be contributed,” he added.

Stamp Out Hunger is the biggest one-day food drive in America, with 73.4 million pounds of food collected nationwide in 2009. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com, call your local post office, or call United Way of Monroe County at 570-629-5657.