The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold its annual, nationwide Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive for MANNA Food Bank this Saturday, May 10.
Now in its 33rd year, the country’s largest one-day food drive arrives at a pivotal moment for Western North Carolina as communities continue to rebuild after devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene.
“We are still seeing more than 170,000 neighbors seek food assistance every month, including many people that have never needed assistance before,” said Dr. Claire Neal, Chief Executive Officer of MANNA FoodBank. “The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive couldn’t have come at a better time. Every bag left at a mailbox this Saturday helps us keep food and resources going out to communities that are still rebuilding.”
Local residents who receive a blue “Stamp Out Hunger” postcard this week are encouraged to place a sturdy bag of non-perishable food next to their mailbox before their Saturday mail delivery on May 10. Suggested items include canned vegetables, fruits, soups, meats and fish, peanut butter, pasta, rice, and cereal. Please avoid glass containers or items that are opened or expired. Letter carriers will pick up the donations along their routes and deliver them to regional food banks, pantries, shelters, and churches.
“Our local letter carriers are honored to play a part in the long-term recovery,” said Tavon Wells, president of Branch 248 NALC WNC. “We’ve watched entire towns pull together after the storm, and this is one more way we can make sure no family goes hungry.”
Over the past seven months, MANNA FoodBank has distributed more than 12 million pounds of emergency food and resources across its 16-county service region in WNC and the Qualla Boundary, with a focus on the hardest hit communities. These unprecedented relief efforts are crucial just as summer approaches—a season when donations are traditionally slow, and children lose access to school meals.
For MANNA, Stamp Out Hunger is one of its “Big 4” annual food drives and a vital source of shelf stable food. Last year WNC letter carriers collected 24,193 pounds in a single day.
“Helene wiped out thousands of pounds of shelf stable food that normally helps carry us through the summer,” added Lisa Reynolds, MANNA’s Director of Food Sourcing. “Saturday’s drive is our chance to rebuild those reserves for the long road ahead—because recovery isn’t measured in weeks, it’s measured in meals. Your donations to the Letter Carrier's Food Drive on May 10th will be heading directly to local families in WNC communities.”
People with questions about the drive in their area can ask their letter carrier, contact their local post office, or visit nalc.org/fooddrive, facebook.com/StampOutHunger, or twitter.com/StampOutHunger.
MANNA FoodBank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served Western North Carolina since 1983. An accredited member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, MANNA’s mission is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina. Working with over 300 community-based food assistance partner agencies across 16 counties and the Qualla Boundary, MANNA distributed 21.1 million poundsof food in 2023/2024 and is leading largescale relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene. MANNA is a nonpartisan organization committed to sharing facts and information about hunger and how it affects the people we serve. For more information, visit MANNAFoodBank.org or call 828299FOOD.
The 294,000member National Association of Letter Carriers represents active and retired city letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, the NALC is one of America’s oldest labor unions.