Stamp Out Hunger Campaign This Weekend

Residents of Franklin and Hart Counties are being asked to take part in the National Letter Carriers Food Drive.

Letter carriers from post offices around Franklin, Hart, and Stephens counties will be asking for your donations this Saturday.

Ben Smith is the Postmaster at the Lavonia Post Office.

Smith said they are hoping this year’s collections will be even better than last year.

“The NALC, which is the National Association of Letter Carriers, runs a food drive every year to collect food for local food banks and churches,” Smith said. “And every year we participate. Last year, we had record amounts of food come in and I’m hoping to do even better this year.”

You may have seen a plastic bag in your mailbox or post office box this week.

It was left there by your letter carrier for you to fill with all types of non-perishable food.

Smith says all types of non-perishable foods are welcome.

“We send out cards and bags to everybody in Lavonia. We also put them in the PO boxes and leave bags out in the lobby,” Smith said. “Any kind of canned foods, dry goods, nothing perishable that has to be refrigerated. They don’t have to use our bags, they can use their own bags. Just leave it by your mailbox and we’ll pick it up.”

Smith said once filled, simply leave the bag of food by your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick it up on his normal rounds Saturday, but he said people have already been leaving their bags of food out.

“People have been leaving bags of food next to their mailboxes all this week,” Smith said. “It’s really going good so far.”

You can also bring in your bags of food to the Lavonia Post Office.

According to Smith, the Lavonia Post office collected a record amount of food for the Food Bank and area churches last year.

“We had two huge cages of food last year,” he said. “We filled up the pantry at the church.”

According tot he National Association of Letter Carriers, one in six Americans are either living at risk of hunger or not knowing where their next meal will come from.

That’s why the Letter Carriers’ Food Drive has continued every year since 1992.

If you aren’t sure if your local post office is participating, you can give them a call to find out.