The nation’s largest single-day food drive on Saturday, May 13 offers Santa Barbara County residents an easy way to donate non-perishable food.
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will benefit from the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) annual food drive. Postal customers can donate non-perishable food items by leaving them next to mailboxes before mail is delivered on the day of the drive.
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive accepts all shelf-stable, non-glass food items. The most needed foods for the drive are nut butters, canned protein (tuna, chicken and salmon), whole grain cereals, pasta, canned pasta sauce, dried beans, canned beans, canned corn, healthy soups and stews, oatmeal, bouillon, olive oil and rice.
All non-perishable food left next to mailboxes before mail delivery on May 13 will be collected by letter carriers as they deliver mail along their routes.
All food donated by Santa Barbara County residents will go to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
Every summer, the Foodbank sees an increase in the number of people needing food assistance. This year, with the expiration of CalFresh Emergency Allotments; inflated grocery prices and lost wages, the need will be unprecedented.
The Foodbank’s goal for this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is 100,000 pounds.
“There is no easier way to donate,” said Lisa Skvarla, the Foodbank’s chief people officer. “Just leave the food in a sturdy bag by the mailbox.
“We’ll have volunteers at each post office ready to help unload the bags from our trusty postal carriers and get them on trucks to the warehouses.”
The NALC has conducted the nationwide food drive on the second Saturday in May for more than 30 years. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is held in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.
“Many people in this country struggle with hunger every day,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “We are honored to be able to help people in need by leading an effort that brings out the best in so many Americans.
“Six days a week, letter carriers see first-hand the needs in the communities where we work, and we’re committed to helping meet those needs.”
In 2019, Santa Barbara County residents donated more than 55,000 pounds of non-perishable food during the one-day drive, including more than 27,000 pounds for the Santa Barbara warehouse and some 28,000 pounds for the Santa Maria warehouse.
Several national partners are assisting the NALC, including the U.S. Postal Service, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, National Rural Letter Carriers Association, United Way Worldwide, AFL-CIO, Valpak, Vallassis, the Kellogg Company and CVS.
For more about the Foodbank of Santa Barbara, visit www.FoodbankSBC.org.