MUSCATINE, Iowa–Since the early 1990s, the National Association of Letter Carriers has held an annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive to help provide food to people in need across the country. One of the biggest and longest-running national food drives, it uses an innovative method to collect food and bring it to pantries that could use it. Muscatine’s local branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers has always eagerly participated, making sure that pantries in Muscatine Count get the supplies they need to continue serving the community. With this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive rapidly approaching on May 13, local letter carriers invite you to get involved and contribute to this year’s drive.

For the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, letter carriers make it as easy as possible to participate. Prior to the drive, people may purchase any non-perishable food items they would like to contribute and that pantries often request, such as small containers of peanut butter, unsweetened apple sauce, low sodium canned vegetables, and fruits in light syrup, just to name a few. The Saturday of the drive, people can place their donations next to their mailboxes or on the stairs to their houses if they have wall-mounted mailboxes so that carriers can collect them. Carriers will then assemble all of the food donated, divide it up, and deliver it to local pantries to use in the coming months. With local food pantries continuing to see high levels of food need and regularly distributing food to many families each month, the food will get put to good use right away.

Letter Carriers Carlos Lundstrom and Chris Rush, Union Branch President Carlos Martinez, Sam Hassler, Food Drive Coordinator Blanca Garcia, and Dakota Westphal have already begun preparing for this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Photo courtesy Carlos Martinez.

A highly successful drive in years past, Union Branch President Carlos Martinez shared that this year, he hopes the drive will bring in at least 5,000 pounds of food. All of the food collected will go to two area food banks, the Muscatine Center for Social Action Food Pantry and the Salvation Army of Muscatine County Food Pantry. “We just wanted to keep it local to help our community,” Martinez emphasized.

As an active member of the Muscatine Community, Martinez takes pride in getting to help with the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive each year. “It’s amazing to be able to benefit the members of our community we have come to know and love,” he said. He would like to see the community continue to rally around this cause and assist those in need. “All donations benefit local organizations and community members, so please donate!”