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Record 77.1 Million pounds collected in letter carriers’ national food drive
Despite lingering effects of economic recession, citizens boost donations to 'Stamp Out Hunger;' increases 18-year total to more than 1 billion pounds
Americans donated a record 77.1 million pounds of non-perishable food to help "Stamp Out Hunger" in their communities this year in the annual Letter Carriers National Food Drive, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) union announced today.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said 77,132,180 pounds of food were collected in the drive and delivered to local food banks, pantries and shelters to help needy families. It is the nation’s largest one-day effort to combat hunger. The results of the May 8 effort easily eclipsed the previous record, set last year, of 73.4 million pounds.
The 18th annual drive boosted the total donations collected since the drive began in 1993 to more than 1 billion pounds -- 1,059,800,000 pounds.
"Despite the lingering effects of the recession, postal customers came through again this year in the continuing fight against hunger in America," Rolando said. "Our members and the thousands of rural letter carriers and other volunteers were proud to deliver the generous donations from millions of caring citizens who wanted to help needy families in their communities."
The food was collected by letter carriers as they delivered mail along their postal routes in more than 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.
Tampa, Florida NALC Branch 599 collected 2,062,529 pounds to emerge as the top local union branch in the country, edging out West Coast Florida Branch 1477, which includes St. Petersburg. Buffalo/Western New York Branch 3 was third, followed by Southern California’s Garden Grove Branch 1100.
Rolando expressed appreciation to the union’s national partners in the drive:
Rolando also thanked “Family Circus” cartoonists Bil and Jeff Keane, who yearly provide special artwork, and actors David Arquette and Courteney Cox, television host Ryan Seacrest, and drag racing star Ashley Force Hood for their promotional support.
Letter carriers' food drive tops 1 billion pounds
in 18 years of helping to 'Stamp Out Hunger'
May 11—The National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC) announced today that partial reports on this year’s nationwide “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive have pushed total donations collected along postal routes since the drive began 18 years ago to more than 1 billion pounds.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said preliminary data received already from 404 NALC branches on this year’s May 8 drive shows 19,724,393 pounds, with more than 1,000 local branches yet to send in collection information.
After the first 17 years of the nationwide drive, held annually on the second Saturday in May, donations had totaled 982.7 million pounds. Last year, a record 73.4 million pounds of food were delivered to community food banks and pantries. Rolando said the early figures indicate that this year’s total could match or exceed the 2009 level despite the poor economy.
Final official results of this year’s drive, which was conducted in more than 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico, will be announced on June 1.
"Our union members are proud to provide a helping hand to the millions of citizens who recognize that hunger in America is a continuing problem and want to assist their neighbors in time of need," Rolando said. "Collecting these donations from the mailbox and taking them to local food banks and pantries is in keeping with our motto of 'Delivering for America'."
Rolando thanked all city and rural letter carriers and other volunteers who participated in the May 8 drive, and also the union’s national partners in the effort: the U.S. Postal Service, Campbell Soup Company, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Valpak, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO and the Feeding America food bank network. He also expressed appreciation to "Family Circus" cartoonists Bil and Jeff Keane, who provided artwork to promote the drive, as well as to David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Ashley Force Hood, and Ryan Seacrest, who provided celebrity endorsements. |
he NALC National Food Drive is the outgrowth of a tradition of community service exhibited repeatedly by members of the letter carriers union over the years. These carriers, who go into neighborhoods in every town six days a week, have always been involved when something needed to be done, whether it be collecting funds for a charity like the Muscular Dystrophy Association, watching over the elderly through the Carrier Alert program, assisting the American Red Cross during time of disaster, or rescuing victims of fires, crime, and other mishaps.
