Did you know that more than 34 million people – including 9 million children – in America don't know when their next meal is coming? You can help chip away at hunger in the U.S. by packing a bag of non-perishables Saturday morning, May 13, and leaving it at your mailbox.
Your hard-working mail carrier will deliver the bag to a local food bank, as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers' annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Stamp Out Hunger has become the country’s largest one-day food drive, collecting 43.1 million pounds of food last year. With the support of United Way, the communities we serve and our labor partners, the food drive has been able to distribute more than 2 billion pounds of food since its start some 31 years ago. This year, 10,000 communities in all 50 states are taking part, including D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Hunger is among the top three needs that prompt people to call 211, the 24-7 resource supported by United Way that connects people to local resources. Hunger has long been a problem in America, but COVID, inflation and rising costs have made it even tougher. Some 53 million people in our country rely on food pantries, food banks, and community programs to put food on the table, according to Feeding America.
Most United Ways support food banks and have anti-hunger efforts underway. United Way Worldwide also helps get food to people through its Ride United: Last Mile Delivery program (with DoorDash), which provides free deliveries of food boxes, meals, and essential items to community members in need.
Angela F. Williams, United Way Worldwide's President and CEO, recently joined Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the CEO of Feeding America, to make the case in a recent USA Today op-ed that Congress should pass a fully funded farm bill to strengthen SNAP benefits and build healthy, resilient communities for years to come.
Meanwhile, please do what you can on Saturday: fill up the bag left for you by your mail carrier with canned goods, cereal, dry milk, cereal bars, baby formula, boxed or canned juice, peanut butter, boxed instant food, pasta, rice, and dried beans. (If you haven't received a bag or a promotional Stamp Out Hunger postcard in your mailbox, contact your local Post Office to make sure they're participating.)
And if you want to help eradicate hunger all year long, connect with your local United Way to find out how to get involved.