For the Record
The nation’s largest single-day food drive, the USPS Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, is just days away. On Saturday, May 9, Nassau County residents are encouraged to take part in this impactful annual event benefiting local families in need.
Hosted by the United States Postal Service, Stamp Out Hunger invites residents to join a simple but powerful effort: leave a bag of nonperishable food items by their mailbox before their mail is delivered. Postal carriers will collect donations during their regular routes. This drive helps food banks and community organizations across the country stock their shelves ahead of summer demand.
Barnabas Center will pick up from the postal service and distribute the donations out of its food pantry, where items will be distributed to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. Barnabas Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing critical services, including food assistance, healthcare, financial counseling, and emergency support to people in need.
This year’s drive comes at a critical time as many households continue to face rising costs of food and essential goods. Community participation plays a vital role in making sure neighbors’ pantries stay stocked.
To participate, place a sturdy bag of nonperishable food items next to your mailbox Friday evening or Saturday before your mail arrives. Postal carriers will handle the rest.
Suggested donation items include canned proteins, peanut butter, brown rice, low-sodium vegetables, low-sugar canned fruit, and other shelf-stable foods.
All donations collected locally will directly support Barnabas Center’s mission to provide food assistance and essential services to families in need throughout Nassau.
Led by letter carriers represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, with help from rural letter carriers, other postal employees and other volunteers, the drive has delivered more than 1.82 billion pounds of food within the past 30 years.