Entertainer and new father Nick Cannon says he knows what it's like to go to bed on an empty stomach. He remembers times in his childhood when his family turned to their local food pantries for help.

"I make light of it now, but There were times when I went without food completely," says Cannon, 30, who, with his wife Mariah Carey, became parent of twins on April 30.

Cannon recalls shuffling between his mother, father and paternal grandmother's homes. By the age of 11, he had lived in North Carolina, California, New York City and Atlanta.

[Read: New breed of Americans going hungry.]

"You do what you have to do with what you have. Sometimes I'd eat sugar in a sandwich or just plain old starch to get full. Things were never easy until I had the ability to step out on my own and make legitimate money."

Those memories have inspired Cannon to pay it forward.

"I remember being so excited when the holidays came around, and we'd get to go to the local food bank to get our holiday turkey," he says. "I know what a blessing it is that these services exist, and feel grateful that I'm now in a position to give back and help the 50 million Americans who are living at risk of hunger."

Cannon has teamed up with Feeding America, the National Association of Letter Carriers and Campbell Soup Company for their annual "Stamp Out Hunger," the nation's largest single-day food drive scheduled for on Saturday, May 14.

Now in its 19th year, the event encourages all Americans to donate their non-perishable foods — canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal -- in a sturdy bag next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery.

In 2010, letter carriers collected a record-setting total of 77.1 million pounds of food donations along their postal routes, pushing the 18-year total to more than one billion pounds of food, which would fill up more than 300 miles of semi-trailer trucks lined up bumper to bumper, according to Feeding America.

The team hopes to surpass last year's total amount by adding a new way to participate, Cannon says. This year, in addition to the drive, Campbell will donate one pound of food (up to one million pounds) to the Feeding America food bank network for every person who joins the Stamp Out Hunger Cause on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger.

"All we have to do is go online or put our canned goods out on May 14, and the letter carries will pick it up and work with Feeding America to get it to families in need. It's so easy to do," Cannon says.

In addition to his work with the food drive, Cannon is also the newest member of Feeding America's entertainment council, launched in 2008 to raise awareness for the cause by using spokespersons from the entertainment industry.

Featuring celebrities including David Arquette, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the 48-member council is responsible for helping the organization boost awareness and raise money at exponential rates, Feeding America's media relations manager Ross Fraser says.

"Ever since we created the council, there has been a huge uptick in the amount of coverage that hunger is getting in outlets that traditionally don't cover this issue," says Fraser. "Feeding America has worked hard to recruit members who are really drawn to this issue through personal experiences. Nick Cannon is a great example."

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