Help Stamp Out Hunger! Annual Letter Carrier's Food Drive Is Saturday

DETROIT (WWJ) - Summer is a critical time for families who struggle to fill their pantries.

With that in mind, a parade of U.S. Postal Service mail trucks and carriers arrived at Gleaners Food Bank in Detroit on Thursday for a rally kicking off the National Association of Letter Carrier's "Stamp Out Hunger" campaign.

"This is so important to us. It's gonna be a million to a million-and-a-half pounds of food, coming at a time right before school is over," said Gleaners of Southeast Michigan CEO Gerald Brisson.

"When school ends, kids are not gonna get those free breakfasts and lunches at school; so, we see a huge surge in need the day school is over," Brisson said. "This postal carrier drive help us restock before that huge surge

The food, picked up by mailboxes on Saturday, will be made available to families in need throughout the metro Detroit area.

Tim Carmichael, a letter carrier in Centerline, says it's a lot of work delivering the mail and picking up the food — but it's worth it.

"They leave bags, sometimes multiple bags of food, boxes of food, and it's just awesome," he told WWJ's Marie Osborne. "It's a great feeling."

Another postal worker, Phil Bontamasi, says for him, the annual drive is a family affair.

"My wife helps me, my two grandchildren help me, Angelina and Nana, we have a great time picking up food," Bontamasi said.

It's easy to help:

1. Place your nonperishable food donations in a bag.
2. Leave at your mailbox on Saturday, May 10 by 9 a.m.
3. Your letter carrier will pick up and deliver to local food banks or pantries like Gleaners.
4. Or, you can make a secure online donation HERE.

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