The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Food drive ‘Stamps Out Hunger’
Mail carriers were out delivering more than just letters on May 12 with the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive.
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 196 played their part in “stamping” out hunger across America in what has become the largest oneday food drive in the nation, according to a news release.
Branch 196 picked up donations in Elyria, North Ridgeville, Grafton, Wellington and Oberlin before dropping them off at Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, Lorain Salvation Army and the Joyce E. Hanks Community Center in Sheffield Lake.
Rebecca Tucker, a carrier and organizer for the Lorain and Amherst post offices said she was overwhelmed by the support from the community in taking part in the campaign. Dropping off donations at the Lorain Salvation Army at 2506 Broadway Ave., they didn’t allow some uncooperative weather to slow them down.
“We are so thankful for people who are here in the community and my son’s been helping me out all day. He’s doing a great job and he’s loving the community service,” Tucker said. “And I love that the carriers do this. The NALC, they support everything but these
carriers they’re out there delivering mail, packages, picking up food and it’s pouring down rain. So they all did a great job.”
Branch 196 along with a team of volunteers were processing and sorting donations
from all corners of Lorain County, arriving in the familiar white and blue U.S. Postal Service trucks.
Last year the campaign brought in about 5,000 pounds of food locally.
“We’ve got a decent
amount this year and hopefully we’ll double this next year,” Tucker added.
On a national level the campaign involves more than 10,000 communities around the country. In 2017 carriers collected 75.3 million
pounds of food. Since 1993, the campaign has surpassed over 1.6 billion pounds providing support to local communities, according to the release.