Brownwood News – You may have noticed something extra in your mail recently: a brown paper bag. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its 25th annual national food drive on Saturday, May 13th. The Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive, the country’s largest single-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need in the community.

To participate, simply leave your donation of non-perishable goods next to your mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 13th. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes.

Here in Brownwood, the food will be delivered to the food pantry at St. John’s Church.

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“Because of the location of the church and its history of support to those in need, the church receives many requests for help, both from local residents as well as the homeless and transient,” said Gwen Eberhart, St. John’s Food Pantry coordinator.  “We appreciate any help to make this food drive successful for us. It is our only source of local food collection.”

With the economic struggles many Americans face, the Letter Carriers’ Food Drive is as critical as ever. Not only do millions of Americans go hungry, organizations that help them are in need of replenishments.

Hunger affects about 50 million people around the country, including millions of children, senior citizens and veterans. Pantry shelves filled up through winter-holiday generosity often are bare by late spring. And, with most school meal programs suspended during summer months, millions of children must find alternate sources of nutrition.

Letter carriers see these struggles in the communities they serve, and they believe it’s important to do what they can to help.

People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag—paper or plastic—containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery on May 13th.

Visit www.nalc.org/food to learn more.