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Roanoke Valley Seeks 150,000 Pounds for 15th NALC Food Drive

The Roanoke Valley is out to remain first in Virginia among communities participating in the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive on Saturday, May 12.

It will be the 15th anniversary of the nationwide observance which last year netted 114,000 pounds of food from Roanoke Valley households. This was the state’s highest per capita collection, and total poundage was second only to Northern Virginia’s 127,000 pounds.

"We’re targeting 150,000 pounds of donations this year,” said Don J. Vineyard, president of Star City Branch 524 of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). “After a 20 percent jump in giving last year, we feel confident that our generous community can do even better.”

Learn more about
hunger in America at
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The local drive raises food for the Southwest Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank in Salem that serves a 23-county area, assisting more than 89,000 people each week. Cox Communications is furnishing collection bags for 100,000 homes to inspire and remind people to give food.

Contributing food is a simple process: just pack a bag or box and set it near the mailbox before neighborhood carriers make deliveries. Canned goods, cereal, rice and other dry goods must be unopened and bear labels with expiration dates and nutrition information. Glass packaging will not be accepted for safety reasons.

National and local partners with NALC include United Way, US Postal Service, America’s Second Harvest, ValPak and Campbell’s.