On Saturday, May 10, letter carriers across the country will trade their familiar mailbags for grocery sacks as they take part in the 33rd annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the nation’s largest single-day food collection effort.
Organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), the campaign mobilizes tens of thousands of postal workers to gather non-perishable food donations from residents in every corner of the United States. The initiative supports local food banks and pantries that serve individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.
Participation is simple: Residents are encouraged to leave a bag of non-perishable items next to their mailbox on the morning of the drive. Letter carriers will collect the donations during their normal delivery routes and deliver them directly to local charities and hunger relief organizations.
“The need is urgent and we are uniquely positioned to help,” the NALC said in a statement. “Our carriers walk these neighborhoods every day. We see who is struggling, we know this issue is not abstract. It’s real and it’s close to home.”
Hunger remains a critical issue in the United States, with more than 44 million Americans facing food insecurity, according to the US Department of Agriculture. That number includes more than 14 million children and nearly 5.5 million seniors over the age of 60, many of whom live on fixed incomes and may be reluctant to seek help.
The timing of the food drive is deliberate as food banks often experience a steep drop in donations following the winter holiday season, yet demand remains constant. By spring, many shelves are empty just as summer approaches, when school-based meal programs that support children during the academic year go on hiatus.
First launched as a pilot in 10 cities in October 1991, the Stamp Out Hunger campaign was formally established as a national initiative in May 1993. That inaugural nationwide drive collected more than 11 million pounds of food in a single day, setting a US record at the time. In the decades since, the drive has grown exponentially. Carriers now collect food from Anchorage to Atlanta and Boston to Bakersfield, aided by the Postal Service’s universal delivery network. More than 1.9 billion pounds of food have been donated since the program began.
The initiative is also rooted in the broader service culture of the letter carriers union. In addition to mail delivery, carriers have a long history of engaging in community-based programs, from raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association to checking on elderly residents through the Carrier Alert program. They also contribute to the NALC Disaster Relief Fund and have been recognized in past years for acts of bravery during emergencies.
The drive is supported by numerous national partners, including the United States Postal Service, the AFL-CIO, United Way Worldwide and the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, along with many regional and local organizations.
William J. Flynn, a regional food bank coordinator in Southern California, said in a statement that the event consistently provides one of the year’s most significant boosts in supply for local operations.
“This drive is essential to keeping our programs running through the summer,” Flynn said. “We can always count on the letter carriers and the generosity of local residents. Every can, every box, every contribution helps put food on someone’s table.”
NALC organizers advise that acceptable donations include non-perishable items such as canned soup, vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice, peanut butter and cereal. Items should be unopened, unexpired and not in glass containers. Residents are encouraged to confirm participation by checking with their local letter carrier or using the NALC’s online branch lookup tool. In cases where a branch is not listed, the organization suggests contacting the local Post Office or emailing communityserviceshq@nalc.org for details.
While the total national haul from this year’s campaign will not be tallied until later in May, organizers are hopeful that 2025 will mark a new milestone in both participation and volume collected.
“We ask everyone who is able to join us in this simple act of kindness,” the NALC said. “It’s a small gesture that can have a big impact on our neighbors in need.”
For more information about the drive or to find out if your local branch is participating, visit www.nalc.org/food-drive.
