Dish-Houston

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its 19^th annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive across the country.  Here in Houston, close to 3,800 letter carriers of the NALC local chapter will collect donations throughout the area to be donated to the Houston Food Bank and its partner food pantries. 

            Patricia Claiborne, spokesperson for the Houston chapter of the NALC says, “Houston-area letter carriers want to do what we can to help out our neighbors in need.  This is a successful drive because of its simplicity.  All that Houstonians need to do is place a box or bag of nonperishable food next to their mailboxes before their letter carrier delivers mail on Saturday, May 14.  Your mail carrier will pick up the food and take it to their postal station.  It will then be transported to the Houston Food Bank, where it is distributed to area hunger relief charities.”

 Locally, letter carriers collected a record 477,000 pounds of nonperishable foods in 2010. This year’s goal is 500,000 pounds – and the public’s help is needed! All food collected locally benefits the Houston Food Bank.

Area letter carriers are requesting that Houstonians donate nonperishable foods such as canned meat, tuna, peanut butter, soup, canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, rice and beans and other essential items.  All donated items should be in non-breakable containers, please. 

The U.S. Postal Service and Campbell Soup Company are underwriting the printing and distribution of postcards and direct mail pieces for delivery to postal customers throughout the country, asking them to participate in this important food drive. 

Brown paper grocery bags donated by Kroger are being inserted into the Houston Chronicle.  Subscribers can easily fill the bag with nonperishable items and place it outside their door on collection day.  Included on the bag will be information about how to participate.

 

            Says Brian Greene, president and chief executive officer of the Houston Food Bank, “With the current economic conditions, many of our food pantry partners are seeing people coming for help who have never needed food assistance before.  And with summer just around the corner, many schoolchildren who rely on school lunches will not have access to much needed nourishment.  The timing of this food drive makes it one of our most important efforts, especially given economic conditions.”  

The NALC food drive is the largest one-day food drive in the nation, including over 10,000 cities and towns throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.

For more information on the letter carriers’ food drive, please contact the Houston chapter of the NALC at 713-641-2366.

About the Houston Food Bank

The Houston Food Bank is the largest source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties. A network of nearly 500 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other agencies, feeding a total of 137,000 people each week, provides more than 65 million pounds of food and prepared meals annually. Fresh produce, meat and nonperishables are distributed from Herzstein Center, a 73,000 square-foot warehouse, and hot meals are prepared and distributed from Keegan Center, a 15,000 square-foot industrial kitchen. In 2011, the Food Bank’s warehouse operations will be moved to a much larger facility near the East Freeway and East Loop.  Additional community services range from nutrition education to assistance with food stamp applications and hands-on job training. Red Barrels offer a convenient way for grocery shoppers to donate nonperishables for their neighbors in need. The Houston Food Bank, founded in 1982, is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. The organization plans to grow to an annual distribution of 120 million pounds of food by 2018. Visit HoustonFoodBank.org for more information