Friday, April 24, 2015

Postal Carriers Enlist Public Support to Stamp Out Hunger on May 9

Largest single-day food drive to support families at risk of hunger to take place across the Bay Area on Saturday, May 9

On Saturday, May 9, people from across the country will partner with their letter carriers to help “Stamp Out Hunger.” Now in its 23rd year, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the largest single-day effort to combat hunger in America and the largest single-day food drive to support Bay Area Food Banks, which serve over 700,000 children, adults and seniors each month.
To participate, residents are asked to place a sturdy bag of non-perishable food items like peanut butter, pasta, rice, low-sugar cereal, and canned foods such as tuna, meat, stew, soup, and vegetables, by their mailbox before their mail is delivered on Saturday, May 9. Letter carriers will collect the food items and deliver them to their local food bank to then be distributed to those at risk of hunger in their community.

“As Letter Carriers, we’re out on the streets every day, meeting our neighbors, and have even become a part of many families in the communities we serve,” said Anthony Lowe, Alameda County’s NALC Food Drive coordinator. “But we also see who’s struggling – and unfortunately those numbers are growing. This drive means a lot to the letter carriers, personally, to be able to make a difference in our neighbors’ lives during this time. We thank the community for all of their support to make this drive so successful.”

Neil Zarchin, Grants Coordinator, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano notes, “As a retired Letter Carrier, I understand how much effort goes into the Food Drive. As a Food Bank employee, I understand how empty the shelves are this time of year. Food banks all across the country depend on the Food Drive each year. It’s amazing how the public responds to their trusted Letter Carriers and helps their neighbors in need.”
Last year, the Bay Area Stamp Out Hunger food drive collected more than 800,000 pounds of food for those in need. In 2014, drive organizers across the country collected more than 70 million pounds of total food donations for the tenth consecutive year.

Despite the generosity of millions of Americans who have supported the letter carriers' food drive in previous years, the need for food assistance still exists for many families. According to Feeding America, the nation’s network of food banks, 1 in 7 Americans currently rely on assistance from Food Banks. That ratio is higher in many Bay Area communities where the skyrocketing cost of living has left even more families struggling, while issues like California’s drought continue to add to food bank concerns. 

“Food banks are already stretched heading into this high-need time of year,” said Suzan Bateson, executive director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. “Summer break is difficult for families that rely on free- and reduced-priced school meals. These parents are already struggling to get by, and the added burden of bridging the meal gap can quickly break fragile budgets. The generous support from Stamp Out Hunger helps stock our shelves so that neighbors have the heathy food they need.” 

Learn More About the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive: http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

About Bay Area Food Banks
Bay Area Food Banks is a collaboration of seven local food banks serving northern California counties. Collectively they serve 700,000 adults, seniors and children each month through nearly 1,600 food pantries, children’s programs, shelters, soup kitchens, residential programs, and other emergency food providers. Learn more at www.bayareahunger.org.

For comment or to visit your local Food Bank on May 9, please contact the appropriate food bank representative below.

Bay Area Food Banks - Media Contacts

Alameda County Community Food Bank
Michael Altfest - maltfest@accfb.org
(510) 684-8655

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Rachel Braver - rbraver@foodbankccs.org
(925) 677-7011

Redwood Empire Food Bank (Sonoma County)
Christy Gentry - cgentry@refb.org
(707) 523-7900, ext. 158

San Francisco Food Bank
Lisa Mizokami - lmizokami@sffb.org
(415) 282-1907, ext. 264

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Caitlin Kerk - ckerk@shfb.org
(408) 858-9208