The president of the Greenville branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers is asking churches across South Carolina to help spread the word about the group’s upcoming “Stamp Out Hunger” food collection day.
On Saturday, May 14, when letter carriers across the country drop off the mail at millions of homes and mailboxes, they will also pick up donations of bags and boxes filled with non-perishable food items destined for local food banks.
Wayne Harlow, president of NALC Branch 439, told the Courier he hopes Greenville-area mail carriers will collect more than 300,000 pounds of food, and he believes churches all across South Carolina can be instrumental in reminding people about the one-day food collection blitz (even though mail carriers will be glad to pick food items before and after May 14, he said).
“We basically want to help the community as much as possible,” he said. “A lot of families are struggling, including children. A lot of them go to food banks. We just want churches to help us promote it and get the word out as much as possible.
“It goes to help the people who need it,” he added, “many of whom are our friends and coworkers.”
Harlow said this year’s food drive will be helped by the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to allow collection bags to be mailed to homes during the week prior to the pickup. The bags, provided by Publix, will have a special imprint, but it is not necessary to use the bags in order to leave food items for pickup, Harlow said. Any box or bag is acceptable, he added.