The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) 32nd Annual Food Drive will be held on Saturday, May 11. As one of the largest days of giving in the United States, the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO is proud to be an official partner of this event.
When delivering mail on the 11th, members of NALC Branch 59 will collect donations left by local residents. Those wishing to donate are advised to place a sturdy bag or container with non-perishable food items such as canned soups, canned vegetables, canned meat and fish, pasta, rice, or cereal by their mailbox on Saturday morning (May 11).
Local union volunteers will play a key role on the 11th, helping to collect then unload incoming donation trucks and sort donated food. Local unions that have volunteered for this effort include IAMAW 1115, AFT WI Retirees, IBEW 14, IAMAW 21, AFT 6502 and, of course, NALC Branch 59.
Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Mike Davis Jr. said, ” Food pantry visitors are grateful for the help that they receive through area food pantries. With your donations of food, they can feed themselves and their households fulfilling nutritious meals. Please Contribute.”
Over its 32-year history, the effort has collected nearly two billion pounds of food thanks to a universal postal network that reaches locations across the country, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The annual May event is vital to local food pantries and neighbors in need. Food availability is usually lower in the spring. When schools close during the summer, the need for additional food is greater because younger students are unable to participate in school breakfast and lunch programs. Locally, almost a third of children are at risk of not getting enough to eat.
Residents can help donate by simply filling a grocery bag or two with non-perishable food items and placing them in their mailbox for pickup on Saturday, May 11.
Every year, mail carriers across the country head out on the second Saturday in May to collect donations of non-perishable food items to benefit local food pantries. Since its founding in 1993, the NALC annual Food Drive to End Hunger has grown into the largest one-day food drive in the country, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns across America.
Local food donations remain local and benefit Coulee area residents in need.
In the past, donors in the Coulee Region were provided with a plastic bag to use to donate their food.
While the bag won’t be in your mailbox this year due to the loss of a statewide sponsorship, any bag will work fine.
NALC Branch 59, Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO, and Great Rivers United Way locally sponsor this annual event.
