Current News 2005

Local Letter Carriers Plan for 13^TH National Food Drive

Saturday, May 14 is the day when Roanoke area residents are asked to help “stamp out hunger” during the 13^th annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive .

Members of NALC Branch 524 will collect canned foods and dry goods on their regular rounds delivering mail that day, said Don J. Vineyard, local branch president and event spokesperson. Volunteers over age 13 can be assigned to one of six area post offices or the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank at 1025 Electric Road in Salem .

To learn more about assisting with collections, contact Rachel Craig, Food Bank volunteer coordinator, at 342-3011 ext. 28.

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.

Collected food is donated to the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank, which is partnering with NALC, the U.S. Postal Service and United Way of Roanoke Valley on the community-wide event. The food bank annually distributes about seven million pounds of food to regional pantries and agencies serving low-income and needy people in 26 counties and 10 cities.

The 2004 Roanoke area Food Drive raised a record 100,970 pounds of food. Volunteers worked at 6 Roanoke-area post offices to process donations, and 19 rural stations also participated in the collections.