Letter carriers conduct food drive

When you put your letters out for the mailman Saturday, don’t forget to add some nonperishable foods to the batch.

Led by National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO)  letter carriers in each community, the U.S. Postal Service is conducting a nationwide food drive Saturday to benefit local food pantries. The NALC Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive is believed to be the largest one-day food drive in the nation.

Locally, Park Hills, Bonne Terre and Farmington post offices are participating in the drive. Rural carriers will pass along any donations on routes in other areas of the county.

With the help of rural letter carriers, other postal employees and numerous other volunteers, the drive has collected more than one billion pounds of donations for community food banks and pantries during the past 18 years.

Customers are asked to leave non-perishable food donations by their mailboxes on Saturday or bring them to their local post offices.

Local food pantries report increasing numbers of recipients, making the need for donations even more important.

Park Hills food collections will go to the Elvins Pantry and St. Vincent de Paul at Immaculate Conception Church.

The Bonne Terre items will go to St. Joe Catholic Church.

Farmington officials could not be reached to verify where it will send its collection; however, the food will go to local food pantries.

According to the U.S. Postal Service website, http://www.usps.com/communications/community/fooddrive.htm, approximately 35.5 million people face hunger every day in America. Those figures include an estimated 13 million children. The drive is one way people can help the hungry in their own city or town.

Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.