Why you should put food beside your mailbox May 14

The 2019 Stamp Out Hunger drive. Photo courtesy of Food Bank of Delaware.

Delawareans can help those in need on Saturday, May 14 simply by leaving food at their mailbox post as part of the “Stamp Out Hunger” community food drive organized by The Food Bank of Delaware and Delaware’s National Association of Letter Carriers.

Donors just have to place a bag of nonperishable foods by their mailbox prior to mail delivery and their letter carrier will deliver it to neighbors in need.

Participants should not put glass jars in the donation bag, and the bag should be a non-breakable container, preferably a box or a can.

The Food Bank recommends donating the following, as these are the foods most in demand by the bank:

The Food Bank’s most needed food items include:

• Peanut butter
• Cereal
• Pasta
• Macaroni and cheese
• Canned soups
• Canned meats
• Tuna fish
• Canned fruits and vegetables

If donors want to give a little extra back to the community, volunteers are needed to help unload postal trucks at post offices throughout New Castle County. To volunteer, register here.

“We are so happy that the Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive is back after a two-year hiatus,” said Food Bank of Delaware president and CEO Cathy Kanefsky.

She said that so many community members are struggling to make ends meet, and food shouldn’t be another stress in the budget.

“Gas and food prices are at an all-time high, and for those who are living on already tight budgets, putting food on the table can be extremely challenging these days,” she said. “We hope that Delawareans will help us get meals on the table by supporting this year’s food drive. We are extra grateful to the letter carriers for their efforts to help our neighbors.”

The carriers will also be collecting food from apartment complex mailboxes.

The annual food drive was canceled the previous two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019 was the last Stamp Out Hunger, where letter carriers collected 122,663 pounds of food for the FBD and its hunger-relief partners.

For updates on the drive, or to share photos of your donations and spread the word, go to Stamp Out Hunger’s Facebook page.

Jarek Rutz

Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.

Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz