Letter carriers and hunger share a common trait: they both persist regardless of the season. With 1 in 10 Utah children experiencing the uncertainty of where their next meal is coming from, and 317,000 Utahns at risk of missing a meal today, the statewide Stamp Out Hunger® food drive on Saturday, May 11th remains as critical as ever.
This food drive, a national initiative now in its 32nd year, offers Utahns a convenient way to support food-insecure neighbors. Participation is simple: keep an eye out for a blue reminder bag in your mailbox this week and fill it with non-perishable food items (such as canned meats, peanut butter, boxed meals, and canned fruits and vegetables—no glass items, please), and place it next to your mailbox for pickup by 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 11th.
On Saturday, letter carriers will collect bags of food donations left on doorsteps across the state, transporting them to local post offices where Utah Food Bank staff and volunteers will be on hand to receive the contributions. Collected donations will then be distributed to food pantries in your area.
Stamp Out Hunger plays a vital role in replenishing the shelves of emergency food pantries statewide, particularly during this period of heightened demand as schools close for the summer break and many children lose access to meal programs, further straining already tight budgets.
Those unable to have their donations collected can drop them off at Utah Food Bank’s warehouses or Harmons. For those preferring to support financially, donations can be made at utahfoodbank.org, where every $1 donated can be stretched to provide $8.36 worth of goods and services.
Post Offices in Midvale, Northwest, and Riverton urgently need volunteers to support Stamp Out Hunger on Saturday, May 11th to help unload and pre-sort food. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old and capable of moderate lifting. For more information and to sign up, contact [email protected].
The annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger food drive is nationally sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers, in collaboration with the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association and the United States Postal Service. Both in Utah and nationwide, this initiative has provided millions of meals for individuals facing hunger.