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.”
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.)
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.
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.
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. |
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.
