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Saturday, May 13, marks the 31st anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving — the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many: hunger. So, each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations as they deliver mail on their routes. Food collected will be donated to local pantries to provide food to your neighbors who may need your help.

Over the course of its 30-year history, this food drive has collected well over 1.82 billion pounds of food thanks to a postal service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Arkadelphia Post Office collected about 5,500 pounds during the 2022 food drive.

The need for food donations is great. Currently, more than 35 million Americans are unsure where their next meal is coming from. More than 12 million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 5.2 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

The food drive’s timing is critical. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.

To participate in the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, just leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag by your mailbox on Saturday, May 13, and your letter carrier will do the rest.