Postal workers across San Diego County are gearing up for the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive taking place on Saturday, May 12.The San Diego Food Bank along with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) are asking San Diegans to participate by setting out a bag filled with nonperishable food items next to residential mailboxes for postal workers to pick up and deliver to the Food Bank’s warehouse.Last year, 244,489 pounds of food was collected from homes in San Diego County alone for the San Diego Food Bank and our North County Food Bank chapter, which was then distributed through the Food Bank’s network of 400 nonprofit partner agencies.Ahead of the big day, nearly 300,000 brown paper bags and 1 million postcards will be mailed to tens of thousands of county residences. And Food Bank officials are asking folks to donate nutritious, nonperishable food items to the Food Bank that will be distributed to thousands of local families in need.”After the holiday season, food donations drop dramatically, and this one-day food drive helps us restock our shelves ahead of the summer months when we see increased in demand from children on summer vacation who stop receiving free school meals and face hunger at home,” said San Diego Food Bank President & CEO, Jim Floros.”So we ask everyone in the community to take a little time out of their days to fill a bag with our Most Needed Food Items and set it by their mailbox the morning of the food drive. Every food donation will ensure that a San Diegan doesn’t have to go to bed hungry.”
What are the Food Bank’s “most needed” food items?
The Food Bank requests shelf-stable products, which are listed in our Food Drive Fact Sheet.Most Needed Food items include:• Peanut Butter• Canned Meats & Tuna• Canned Vegetables• Canned Fruits• Canned Soup• Oatmeal, Cereal & RiceThe Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is part of a national effort to collect food for those facing hunger in communities across the country and is known for being the largest, single-day food drive in the United States. Let’s make May 12 a record-breaking year! Thank you for your support.