On Saturday, May 14, the National Association of Letter Carriers will conduct its 30th annual national food drive, the largest food drive in the nation. The inaugural food drive took place in 1983 and each year, it helps feed millions of Americans across all 50 states.
Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry (BEAM) will be the beneficiary of donated food collected along the Atlantic Beach Post Office letter carrier routes. The traditional food drive is returning this year after a two-year hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, and BEAM is in need of donations to help feed local Beaches families.
The association is requesting customers simply to leave their donation of nonperishable food items such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal in a sturdy bag next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 14. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes.
The timing is important, with food banks, pantries and shelters running low on donations. BEAM is also bracing for an increase in food pantry clients as free and reduced meal programs are suspended during the summer months and more families are seeking services due to inflation-related hardships.
"Letter carriers are a part of every neighborhood in the nation," association President Fredric Rolando said, "and we see the growing need for food assistance in our communities. On Saturday, May 14, (the National Association of Letter Carriers) invites everyone to participate in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Together, we can help stamp out hunger in America."
In the 30 years since it began, the food drive has collected about 1.82 billion pounds of food for struggling residents.
