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‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive is Saturday

Posted at 5:24 PM, May 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-09 17:25:00-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Mail carriers across the United States will take part in the 27th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on  Saturday.

Residents in West Michigan should have received a paper bag in their mailbox this week.  On Saturday, you are asked to fill the bag with non-perishable food and your mail carrier will pick it up on their normal delivery route.

That food will be brought to Feeding America West Michigan.  In 2018, they collected over 113,000 pounds of food.

Local N.A.C.L President Darrell Helsley speaks very highly of the annual event,

"I plan on doing this until the day I retire from the post office and then I'll still come in as a retiree," Helsley said.

He says mail carriers in the area operate like a family organization.

"Some of the carriers that are off on the weekends will actually volunteer their time to come in and help out even though they're not officially on the clock," he said.

Feeding America West Michigan helps provide food for 900 partner agencies across the state.

Mallory Weber, Food Acquisition Manager at Feeding America West Michigan, tells FOX 17 of the event's importance, "1 in 8 people in our service area are food insecure and 1 in 6 children don't know where their next meal will come from, so this is just a super easy one-day thing you can do your part in the community."

For a list of the items they need the most and to donate money online, you can click here.