Assistance needed for annual Letter Carrier Food Drive
Volunteers are needed to help make the 19th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive a success on Saturday, May 14. The “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive is the day when letter carriers collect non-perishable food that has been left by mailboxes.
Most food collected in Lee County will go to the Harry Chapin Food Bank; in Collier County, food will go to Collier Harvest. All food collected through the food drive will be distributed to participating nonprofit agencies at no cost.
Two kinds of volunteers are needed during the day:
? Drivers will assist letter carriers with their pickups. Contact Debi Mitchell in Lee County, 239-573-9638, or Jesse Costin in Collier County, 239-537-0020, if you can help in this aspect.
? Volunteers are also needed to assist with preliminary food sorting. Contact Bedzaida Bryen at Harry Chapin Food Bank in Lee County, 239-334-7007, or Collier Harvest at 239-455-3663.
Individuals who are not able to leave their food items by the mailbox on May 14 are encouraged to drop off their contributions at any Post Office; the items will be saved and added to the May 14 contributions.
Virtually any kind of food may be donated in unopened, nonbreakable containers. Items especially in need are peanut butter, tuna, rice, beans and canned meats, fruits, vegetables and soups.
The Harry Chapin Food Bank solicits, collects and stores quality food for distribution to families in need through a network of more than 170 local nonprofit agencies in Lee, Collier, Hendry, Charlotte and Glades counties, who provide food to more than 30,000 people monthly. More than 800,900 pounds of food are distributed monthly. For every dollar donated, about $6 in food value goes back to the community.
In the past fiscal year, The Harry Chapin Food Bank distributed more than 11.5 million pounds of food and other grocery products.
Additional information about or to contribute financially to the Harry Chapin Food Bank, contact 239-334-7007 or go to www.harrychapinfoodbank.org.