This Ties That Bind Us is sponsored by Matt The Carpet Guy.
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Postal workers in Rehoboth Beach are preparing to collect food donations as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
The drive is held every second Saturday in May and is described by the U.S. Postal Service as the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns collect nonperishable food donations left by postal customers. According to USPS, the drive has delivered more than 1.82 billion pounds of food over the past 30 years.
In Rehoboth Beach, John Workman, a mail carrier who helps coordinate the local effort, said the food drive is personal for him.
“When we were younger, we had a tough one year around Christmas,” Workman said. “If it wasn’t for the church and the pantry at that church, we wouldn’t have had Christmas dinner on the table. So to me, it means a lot. And that’s why I put a lot of effort into this.”
Workman said people may receive a donation card, a bag or both.
Workman said people will receive a donation card, a bag or both. Residents are asked to fill the bag with nonperishable food items, such as peanut butter, canned goods and other shelf-stable foods, and leave it by their mailbox. Their letter carrier will pick it up.
USPS says carriers collect the donations and deliver them to local community food banks, pantries and shelters. Nearly 1,500 NALC branches in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands take part in the effort.
Residents are asked to fill the bag with nonperishable food items, such as peanut butter, canned goods and other shelf-stable foods, and leave it by their mailbox. Their letter carrier will pick it up.
Workman said the Rehoboth Beach Post Office collected more than 109,000 pounds of food last year and raised the most in the state. He said all food collected locally goes back to charities in the region.
He said there is a reason the drive is held in May.
“After the holidays, people don’t really think so much about giving to food banks,” Workman said. “So they don’t have the supplies and everything they need and the food to give out to people that are in need.”
USPS says one in 10 Americans faces hunger every day. For Workman, the drive is about more than delivering mail. It is also about delivering food that can make a difference. All food for the food drive will be picked up around 2 p.m. on Saturday.
