Stamping Out Hunger on May 9

Nation’s Largest Food Drive Helps Millions of Americans in Need

What:
Letter carriers nationwide will join forces to help stamp out hunger by collecting non-perishable food items and delivering them to local community food banks, pantries and shelters across the country.

Who:
U.S. Postal Service
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
Campbell Soup Company
Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest)

When:
Saturday, May 9, 2009

Where:
Nationwide

Background:
An estimated 35 million people are at risk of hunger in America, including 12 million children. Since 1993, the Postal Service and the NALC have partnered on this campaign to stamp out hunger. It has grown to become the world’s largest, single-day food drive, collecting more than three-quarters of a billion pounds of food since its inception. It’s easy to help: Put some non-perishable food items in a bag and place it by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will pick it up and deliver to local food banks. It’s that simple.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.