Letter Carriers “Stamp out Hunger” Food Drive set for May 10th
JACKSON COUNTY – Jackson County residents are asked to “fill a bag, feed families” during the 22nd Annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 10, 2014 . Last year’s event collected 68,000 pounds of food to feed local children, families, seniors and others in need.
Residents can simply leave a bag of non-perishable food next to their mailbox before pickup on May 10th and local letter carriers will collect the donations to be distributed to the hungry through the ACCESS Jackson County Food Pantry Network.
“Just fill a bag and you will be feeding families from the comfort of your own home. Stamp Out Hunger is an easy way to make a big difference in helping struggling families and neighbors here in Jackson County,” said Philip Yates, ACCESS Nutrition Program Director.
Local Television and Radio Stations are helping out by donating time to heighten the awareness this year. National partners supporting this year’s drive are the Campbell Soup Company, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, the U.S. Postal Service, Feeding America, Valpak, the AFL-CIO, Uncle Bob’s Self Storage, AARP Drive to end Hunger, GLS Companies, Source Direct Plastics, Publix, Valassis and United Way Worldwide.
“Too many people in this country are still going hungry every day,” National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando said. “As letter carriers, we see this firsthand in just about every community we serve. But we aren’t the type of folks who simply move on to the next delivery and hope someone else will do something about it. Instead, for more than two decades now, our members have taken the lead in the effort to help solve this ongoing national problem.”
Stamp Out Hunger is collaborative community event; partner Wells Fargo will provide volunteers throughout Jackson County as well as the entire state on the day of the event. The bank, which is a longtime local supporter of ACCESS nutrition programs, will help letter carriers as they come in to unload, sort and box donated food as well as provide the bags statewide.
Residents can help in three easy ways:
- Collect and bag Non-perishable food items
- Place by your mailbox for letter carrier to deliver to ACCESS on May 10th
- Donate online by clicking the “Donate Now” button and enter “Stamp” in the “Dedication – in honor of” box. For each dollar donated, ACCESS can provide five meals, or approximately five pounds of food, for local residents experiencing hunger.
For more information, contact Philip Yates, ACCESS Nutrition Programs Director at (541) 774-4320 or at pyates@accesshelps.org.
About ACCESS: As the Community Action Agency of Jackson County, ACCESS has been helping Jackson County residents break the cycle of poverty since 1976. With a focus on education, ACCESS helps low-income families and seniors through economic crisis by providing them with short-term resources to help them become self-sustaining. ACCESS currently serves Jackson County residents through 15 programs designed to address problems from one-time emergencies to longer-term issues. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Posted April 22, 2014