SCRANTON, Pa. -- On Saturday, May 11, your letter carrier will be doing much more than delivering your mail. They'll be helping fight hunger.
It's called Stamp Out Hunger, a campaign to help the needy where you live.
"I started about a year ago and I actually had no idea that they did this and finding out they collect food for people that we take for granted," said Courtney Moss, a Scranton postal worker. "Like I go to bed with a full stomach every night. I take for granted. I notice that some people don't know where their next meal is coming from."
On Saturday, May 11, postal workers will be collecting food from porches and mailboxes. It's the largest single-day food drive in the country.
"We're seeing families come in that have nothing on their selves. They are going day to day, not knowing what they're going to eat, what's going to be on the table, facing the prospect of empty shelves.," explained Scranton Salvation Army Major Robert Schmig.
This year marks the 27th annual Stamp Out Hunger collection.
In the past, the postal workers have picked up hundreds of thousands of pounds of food.
"All food collected stays in the local community and people go hungry every day in the country," said Casey Connor, a Scranton postal worker.
Here are some of the non-perishable foods that postal workers will be collecting:
- canned fruits
- vegetables
- soups
- peanut butter
- jelly
- pasta
- pasta sauce
Stamp Out Hunger will go on rain or shine.
"I got to 500 plus porches every day and even seeing half of those filed with food? People took time out of their day to go through their cabinet, food that they can spare. They put it on their porch. It's a really good feeling that people care so much," added Moss.