Alameda County Community Food Bank

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Contact: Judyth Collin
(510) 636-4902

15th Annual Letter Carriers’ Food Drive
-Alameda County Community Food Bank hopes to receive 100,000 pounds of food-

26 April 2007 – (Oakland, CA) – Thousands of Bay Area letter carriers will pick up more than just the mail as they travel their routes on Saturday, May 12th during the 15th annual "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive―theyll also collect food donations. During the National Association of Letter Carriers' (www.nalc.org) annual Food Drive, the nation's largest one-day effort, local postal workers collect non-perishable food donations that people set out by their mailboxes. This food drive is vital to Bay Area Food Banks as they ready themselves for summer, when emergency food requests increase dramatically.

Last year's drive raised 70 million pounds nationwide, including 95,000 pounds for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Residents are encouraged to put a bag of nutritious, non-perishable food, such as canned vegetables and fruits, tuna fish, peanut butter, rice, dry beans and pasta, near their home or business mailbox on the morning of Saturday, May 12th. Letter carriers will pick up the food when the mail is delivered and bring it to a local food bank.

"In Alameda County, one in three children is at risk of hunger," said Suzan Bateson, executive director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. "Low-income families are especially challenged during the summer months when their children don’t have access to free or reduced-price school lunches. We depend on the Letter Carriers' Food Drive to replenish pantries, which are very depleted at this time."

The food drive is supported by the U.S. Postal Service, United Way, AFL-CIO Community Services network, Campbell Soup Company and America's Second Harvest. The San Francisco Chronicle and ABC7 are local partners.