Letter Carriers Food Drive Tops 1 Billion Pounds in 18 Years of Helping to 'Stamp Out Hunger'

WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) 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 one 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.

SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers