Help Stamp Out Hunger on May 8th

• 1 in 6 Americans does not have access to enough food.
• 36 percent of households receiving assistance from food banks include at least one working adult.
• According to the USDA, more than 14 million children live in homes that do not have adequate food supplies.
• Lack of proper nutrition can affect the cognitive and behavioral development of children.
• According to the USDA, limited resources prevent 49 million Americans from getting enough food.
• An astonishing 1 in 8 Americans rely on a food bank for their groceries.

      ( Statistical data courtesy of Feeding America.)

So, what can you do? So glad you asked! The nation’s largest annual food drive will be conducted on Saturday, May 8, 2010. The National Association of Letter Carriers, working with the United States Postal Service, will be collecting non-perishable food items, which will be donated to local food banks and pantries. The drive amassed a record 73.4 million pounds of food in 2009.

All you have to do is place some non-perishable items in a bag and place it by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will pick it up and see that it is delivered to your local food bank or pantry. Items needed include: canned meats and fish, soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice. Requested items should not include items that have expired or those in glass containers. For more details, visit Stamp Out Hunger 2010.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40, NASB)