NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Saturday, May 13, the Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers, or NALC, will once again do their part to help feed the hungry, just as they’ve done for the past 24 years.

Literally, “The Postman Rings Twice” that day, once to deliver the mail, and once to deliver food to the hungry.

The USPS and the NALC ask that customers who want to donate non-perishable food items, such as peanut butter, pasta, rice, and canned food like vegetables, soups and meat, leave their donations in a bag next to their mailbox on Saturday, May 13. Your postal letter carrier will take care of the rest.

The “Stamp out Hunger” food drive is the largest one-day food collection effort in the nation.

Since the campaign began in 1993, the NALC has collected a total of 1.5 billion pounds of food that has kept the shelves of many food banks across the country from becoming bare.

Last year, USPS employees set a new record and collected more than 80 million pounds of food during the Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

However, nearly one in six Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and our children and seniors are the most vulnerable.

Summer becomes critical for all food banks because many pantries are at their lowest levels that directly affect children and families who may not have access to school breakfast and lunch programs.

According to the California Association of Food Banks, one in four children in California, more than two million, go to bed hungry every day.

Food collected by letter carriers goes directly to local food banks and organizations.

Faith groups, grocery outlets and other businesses help process these donations and volunteer groups assist in organizing and distributing the food to hundreds of agencies that help your local community.