Mail carriers join food campaign

MAT-SU -- Valley residents can do their part to help "stamp out hunger" tomorrow by giving food at their local post office. As part of the annual letter carriers/postal food drive, United States Postal Service workers are collecting food on their routes across America tomorrow to be donated to food banks in their communities.

Postal customers who want to donate food can put canned, packaged and non-perishable food items in a plastic bag and leave it by their mailbox tomorrow, before mail delivery. In the Valley, this applies to anyone who has delivery within city boundaries, according to Kathy Phillips of USPS's Anchorage office. Those who do not have home delivery of their mail can take food to the Palmer or Wasilla post office where carts will be set up in the lobbies to place the food.

"If the cart happens to be full, or if they've moved it to put in a new one, they can just take [the food] and give it to the clerks," Phillips said.

Many Valley residents do not have delivery directly to their home, but receive their mail at a postal box on their road. Phillips said donations can be left at those locations, however, contract stations -- such as the Big Lake, Houston or Sutton post offices -- and contract letter carriers, will not be participating in the food drive.

"If their mailman drives a U.S. Postal Service truck, they will pick it up," Phillips said. The National Association of Letter Carriers is conducting the food drive, Phillips said, and contract drivers are generally not members of that association.

All food will be collected tomorrow during the one-day event. Items needed by food banks include canned meats and tuna, canned soup, dried milk and canned fruits and vegetables.

"With the downturn in the economy and less charitable giving, we have many more less fortunate and hungry people," said Alaska Postal District Manager Dianne Horbochuk in a press release. "There have been major cutbacks to hunger relief programs and to school nutrition and children's food support programs," Horbochuk said. "Your food contributions will greatly help the hungry in your community -- including families, children, the elderly and the needy -- whom our letter carriers see on their routes every day."

According to the release, more than 10,000 post offices and communities in the U.S. are participating in the May 10 "Letter Carriers and Postal Food Drive Across America" this year. It is the 11th year of the one-day food drive, and since it began, more than 500 million pounds of food have been delivered to hungry people.