By Bella Caggiano

Contributing to those with food insecurities is as easy in May as mailing a letter…from the comfort of your own home. On Saturday, May 11, letter carriers will be picking up non-perishable food throughout Norwood neighborhoods as part of the 31st Annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. This event is the largest one-day food drive in the country, and Norwood residents can directly be a part of this national campaign

Participating is easy! On this day, rain or shine, Norwood residents leave marked bags of non-perishable food by their mailbox in the morning and mail carriers will pick up the packages during their regular delivery routes and transport them to the Norwood Ecumenical Food Pantry. All types of non-perishable food are welcome, including peanut butter, coffee, canned fruit, canned tomato sauces/paste, diced and whole tomatoes, canned meat and hash. The only requirement is that all cans and boxes must be new and in good condition. Anything outdated or opened has to be thrown away for health reasons. 

The timing of the second Saturday in May is no accident. Local food banks and pantries best benefit by a mid-spring surge to replenish their diminishing shelves from the influx of donations received during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. 

Norwood is one of 10,000 cities and towns across America taking part in the Letter Carriers’ Food Drive. The national effort began in 1991 with a pilot program of 10 cities and it proved so successful that plans began almost immediately to make the drive a national effort. The first national drive was May 15, 1993, and included 220 union branches. At the end of the day, an impressive 11 million pounds of food was collected; a one-day record in the United States!

Any donation, large or small is greatly appreciated. All it takes is a quick scan of the pantry or cupboard to collect a few items, and place them in a marked bag by the mailbox the morning of Saturday, May 11. In the three decades of this event, approximately 1.9 billion pounds of food has been collected for those in need, through the generosity of neighbors, just one can at a time.

This drive is another shining example of local residents joining in this national event to achieve a common goal: to give back to those who are struggling to put food on their tables.