Letter carriers to host mailbox food drive May 11


Grand Rapids, Mich., May 3, 2019 — Postal workers in Grand Rapids will deliver mail and pick up food on Saturday, May 11, during the nation-wide Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers. This coming week, each resident will find a bag in their mailbox which they can fill with nonperishable food items and place by their mailboxes on the day of the food drive.

All donations will be distributed through Feeding America West Michigan’s network of 900 partner agencies onto the plates of neighbors facing hunger. Last year, Grand Rapids residents raised more than 113,000 pounds of nonperishable food, providing 94,000 meals for those in need. This amount of food can feed nearly 50,000 families.

“We are grateful for the letter carriers that help us with this event and are always amazed by the generosity of our neighbors here in Grand Rapids who inspire us each year to continue doing what we do,” said Ken Estelle, President and CEO of Feeding America West Michigan.

If you would like to help your neighbors facing hunger you can:

Place nonperishable food like cereal, pasta, canned fruits or veggies in bags and leave them by your mailbox in time for your normal mail pickup/delivery on May 11 – 9 a.m. is a safe bet.
• Volunteer to help sort donated food by visiting feedwm.org/volunteer.
• Donate at feedwm.org/donate – just $1 provides four meals.

The Stamp out Hunger Food Drive has a twofold benefit – it helps food banks acquire necessary food, but it also raises awareness of hunger and how it affects those who experience it. In Kent County, 1 in 8 individuals, which equates to nearly 72,000 people, face hunger.

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About Feeding America West Michigan

Serving local families in need since 1981, Feeding America West Michigan reclaims safe surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. That food is distributed through a network of 900 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other hunger-relief agencies in 40 of Michigan’s 83 counties from the Indiana border through the Upper Peninsula. For more information, visit FeedWM.org or call 616-784-3250.