Record 77.1 Million pounds collected in letter carriers’ national
food drive
June 1, 2010
WASHINGTON – Americans donated a record 77.1 million pounds of
non-perishable food to help "Stamp Out Hunger" in their communities this
year in the annual
Letter Carriers National Food Drive, the National Association of
Letter Carriers (NALC) union announced today.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said 77,132,180 pounds of food were
collected in the drive and delivered to local food banks, pantries and
shelters to help needy families. It is the nation’s largest one-day
effort to combat hunger. The results of the May 8 effort easily eclipsed
the previous record, set last year, of 73.4 million pounds.
The 18th annual drive boosted the total donations collected since the
drive began in 1993 to more than 1 billion pounds -- 1,059,800,000
pounds.
"Despite the lingering effects of the recession, postal customers
came through again this year in the continuing fight against hunger in
America," Rolando said. "Our members and the thousands of rural letter
carriers and other volunteers were proud to deliver the generous
donations from millions of caring citizens who wanted to help needy
families in their communities."
The food was collected by letter carriers as they delivered mail
along their postal routes in more than 10,000 cities and towns in all 50
states and U.S. jurisdictions.
Tampa, Florida NALC Branch 599 collected 2,062,529 pounds to emerge
as the top local union branch in the country, edging out West Coast
Florida Branch 1477, which includes St. Petersburg. Buffalo/Western New
York Branch 3 was third, followed by Southern California’s Garden Grove
Branch 1100.
Rolando expressed appreciation to the union’s national partners in
the drive—the U.S. Postal Service’s Priority Mail, Campbell Soup
Company, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, Valpak Direct
Marketing Systems, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO, and the Feeding
America food bank network. Rolando also thanked “Family Circus”
cartoonists Bil and Jeff Keane, who yearly provide special artwork, and
actors David Arquette and Courteney Cox, television host Ryan Seacrest,
and drag racing star Ashley Force Hood for their promotional support.
The 295,000-member NALC represents city delivery letter carriers in
all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions employed by the U.S. Postal
Service, along with retired letter carriers.