Foodbank Partners with Letter Carriers for the Return of the Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
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(Santa Barbara, CA) —The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will benefit from the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) annual food drive on Saturday, May 11th, 2024. Postal customers can donate non-perishable food items by leaving them next to mailboxes before mail is delivered on the day of the drive.
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive accepts all shelf-stable, non-glass food items. The most needed foods for the drive are nut butters, canned protein (such as tuna, chicken and salmon), whole grain cereals, pasta, canned pasta sauce, dried beans, canned beans, canned corn, healthy soups and stews, oatmeal, bouillon, olive oil and rice.
All non-perishable food left next to mailboxes before mail delivery on May 11 will be collected by letter carriers as they deliver mail along their postal routes. All food donated by Santa Barbara County residents will go to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
Every summer, the Foodbank sees an increase in the number of people needing food assistance. This year, with the increased cost of living in our community the need will be compounded. The Foodbank’s goal for this year’s annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is 100,000 pounds.
The NALC has conducted the annual nationwide food drive on the second Saturday in May for more than 30 years. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is held in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
In 2023, Santa Barbara County residents donated more than 84,000 pounds of non-perishable food during the one-day drive, including more than 40,500 pounds for the Santa Barbara warehouse and over 46,500 pounds for the Santa Maria warehouse.
Several national partners are assisting the NALC, including the U.S. Postal Service, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO, Valpak, Vallassis, the Kellogg Company and CVS.