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More Than 1,000 Branches Registered for Food Drive

New Survey Shows Extent of Hunger Problem

January 29—With still more than three months until the annual NALC National Food Drive on May 8, more than 1,000 NALC branches have already sent in their registration forms to participate in the nation’s largest one-day effort to help needy families and “Stamp Out Hunger.”

  HOT TOPICS
  Food Drive Coordinators
(as of February 1)
  A brief history of the Food Drive
  Food Drive articles in the Postal Record and Bulletin
   

The demonstrated enthusiasm also indicates that this year—the 18th since the nationwide drive began in 1993—will be the time when letter carriers break through the 1 billion-pound level in
total donations delivered to community food banks, pantries and shelters.

And the time for a highly successful drive could not be more urgent.

On January 26, the respected Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released a report showing that Americans in every congressional district and virtually all large metropolitan areas were struggling to afford enough food for their families. Click here to read the full report. (Link opens a new browser window or tab.)

Findlay OH  

The report showed that food hardship—running out of money to buy the food that families need—which stood at 16.3 percent of respondent households in the first quarter of 2008, was at 18.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. It was even worse for households with children, jumping from 14.9 percent to 24.1 percent.

FRAC President Jim Weill said the report, based on a Gallup survey, shows that food hardship “is truly a national problem.” FRAC is a Washington-based non-profit organization working to eradicate hunger and under-nutrition in America.

At this time, registration forms for the 2010 food drive have been received from 1,052 branches. Click here for the list of branch food drive coordinators.

  Muscatine IA

Branch presidents who have not yet registered, or may have not received or misplaced the registration form, can still register by quickly sending in the form mailed to all branches, or by filling out the alternate form in the latest NALC Bulletin (available online here) and returning it to NALC headquarters, or by e-mailing the requested information to vonbergen@nalc.org.

Within a few weeks, a new 2010 food drive packet will be sent via Priority Mail to all registered food
drive coordinators containing the forms for ordering Campbell Soup-U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail postcards to alert citizens of the drive; a new video on the drive; a new full-color poster that can be purchased in bulk at cost; information on mailing of special Valpak envelopes promoting the drive; information on special websites and social media connections related to the drive; and camera-ready artwork featuring the 2010 “Family Circus” cartoon about the drive.

Juneau AK  

National partners with the NALC in this year’s drive are:

In 2009, the NALC drive set a new record of 73.4 million pounds in non-perishable donations, bringing the total for the 17 years of the drive to 982.7 million pounds.

Questions regarding the food drive should be directed to Drew Von Bergen, national coordinator, at vonbergen@nalc.org.

 
Record 73.4 Million Pounds Collected in 2009 Letter Carriers' National Food Drive
  Columbus OH

Donations Increase Slightly Despite Recession In Nation’s Largest Effort to 'Stamp Out Hunger'

Despite the difficult economic times throughout the nation, Americans donated a record 73.4 million pounds of non-perishable food in the Letter Carriers National Food Drive to restock community food banks and pantries in the nation’s largest one-day effort to combat hunger, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) has announced. Press Release

Again this year, awards recognized branches that lead their membership categories in food collections. Postal Record article on the results

 
A brief history of the Food Drive
   
 

The 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.

Lincoln NE  

For many years, a number of branches had collected food for the needy as part of their community service effort. Discussions were held by the NALC, U.S. Postal Service and AFL-CIO Community Services Department to explore a coordinated effort. A pilot drive was held in 10 cities in October, 1991, and it proved so successful that work began immediately on making it a nationwide effort.

Input from food banks and pantries suggested that late spring would be the best time since by then most food banks in the country start running out of donations received during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods.

A revamped drive was organized for May 15, 1993—the second Saturday in May—with a goal of having at least one NALC branch in each of the 50 states participating. The result was astounding. More than 11 million pounds of food was collected—a one-day record in the United States—involving more than 220 union branches.

From Alaska to Florida and Maine to Hawaii, letter carriers did double duty—delivering mail and picking up donations. It just grew and grew from that point.

   
 
NALC ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE TOPICS
January 29, 2010 Bulletin: More Than 1,000 Branches Registered for Food Drive
February 2010 Postal Record: It's official: Rural carriers are partners in Food Drive
August 2009 Postal Record: Report highlights cost of hunger
July 2009 Postal Record: Record donations defy recession
June 5, 2009 Bulletin: New Food Drive Record of 73.4 Million Pounds!
June 2009 Postal Record: Carriers come through for hardest hit
May 1, 2009 Bulletin: Letter Carriers' Food Drive Effort Helps Millions of Hungry Families
May 2009 Postal Record: More then 1,400 branches going all out for food drive
April 2009 Postal Record: Food drive scheduled just in time for millions caught in economic vise
March 27, 2009 Bulletin: 107 Million Campbell Soup-Priority Mail Postcards Ordered by NALC Branches for Local Food Drives
March 13, 2009 Bulletin: Rural Carriers President Cantriel
Issues Support for Food Drive
March 2009 Postal Record: Food drive scheduled just in time for millions caught in economic vise
February 12, 2009 Bulletin: Over 1,100 Branches in May 9 Food Drive; Coordinators' Packets Being Prepared
 
   
 
  © National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO