Oh, this one is so easy.... Run up to the grocery store and pick up a few extra cans of food to donate to a very worthy cause! Then tomorrow (Saturday, May 8th) leave the cans at your mailbox and your work is done! You can spend the rest of the day feeling good, knowing you have helped someone in need!
This year Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest single-day food drive, will look to surpass one billion pounds of food collected since its inception in 1993. Last year, letter carriers across the country collected a record total of more than 73.4 million pounds of food. But with hunger impacting 49.1 million Americans, including 16.7 million children, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States; help is needed now more than ever before.
"In these trying times it’s important for Americans to rally behind causes like the Letter Carriers Food Drive to help their neighbors struggling with hunger," said Fredric V. Rolando, NALC president. "While we’re very proud of our success over the years in the battle against hunger, the fact remains that more Americans than ever are in need, which is why we remain committed to this drive."
The Face of Hunger…
Despite the generosity of millions of Americans who have supported efforts like the Stamp Out Hunger food drive; the need for food assistance has never been greater. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, Household Food Security in the United States, 2008, the number of Americans living in food insecure homes increased from 36.2 million in 2007 to 49.1 million in 2008, with approximately one in every three food insecure Americans being a child (16.7 million).
A recent survey conducted by Feeding America of its 205 food bank members reported universal increases in demand for emergency food assistance, ranging from five percent to 150 percent, as well as a growing inability to meet the surging needs of their clients.
• More than 90 percent of the food banks reported surges in demand being driven by more first-time users of the food assistance system and more newly unemployed.
• 72 percent reported existing clients needing assistance more frequently now than in the past.
• 56 percent reported seeing more children as clients.
• 55 percent reported that they or the agencies that help distribute the food they provide have had to turn people away in the last year.
• Nearly 80 percent reported that they or their partner agencies have had to reduce the amount of food provided or the frequency of food distributions in their area.
You Can Help...
Helping Stamp Out Hunger is as easy as checking your mailbox. Just leave a bag of non-perishable food where your letter carrier normally delivers your mail on Saturday, May 8. Your letter carrier will then pick up and deliver the food to a local food bank. Examples of non-perishable items include:
Canned soup
Canned meats and fish
Canned vegetables, fruits and juices
Boxed goods (such as cereal)
Pasta and rice
For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger effort in your community, ask your letter carrier or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com, or follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.
"The commitment and dedication of thousands of letter carriers, rural letter carriers, and postal and community volunteers, plus the involvement of corporate partners will make a difference in helping to feed America's hungry as we seek to surpass the record of 73.4 million pounds of food collected," added Postmaster General John Potter. "The generosity of our customers and the determination of our employees have never been stronger."
In a recent survey conducted by Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic-hunger-relief organization, its 203 food bank members consistently reported increased demand for emergency food assistance, ranging from five to 150 percent. Food banks are also notoriously empty during summer months, having exhausted the supply of donations received from food drives conducted during the holidays that are then distributed during spring. Summer donations are even more critical since many children in need no longer have the benefit of their school lunch program.
A HELPING HAND...
As part of its support for the drive, Campbell will donate one can of soup to Feeding America (up to one million cans) for each Facebook fan that joins the fight against hunger at www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger. The company also sponsors, along with the U.S. Postal Service, a reminder postcard being mailed to more than 120 million homes the week of the drive.
Source: Stamp Out Hunger 2010
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