In May, the United States Post Office held their “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive. The drive has mail carriers collecting non-perishable food items in the largest one-day food drive in the country. The Milford post office held a special event at Park Place in early May in an effort to increase awareness of the drive.
“Park Place was amazing, not only allowing us to have a fundraiser at their bar, but they also matched the amount collected,” Desiray Anderson, one of the chairmen of the events, said. “Park Place ended up giving $872 for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive to help their community. They are always willing to help our community and we are extremely grateful for their generosity.”
The Milford Post Office collected $2,083 in cash donations as well as 35, 343 pounds of food, placing them second among lower Delaware post offices. Rehoboth Beach Annex collected 112,584 pounds of food and Dover collected 27,403.
“The total amount of food collected in Kent and Sussex Counties was 326,171 pounds. All food and funds collected remain in the area where it is collected,” Anderson said. “USPS works with the Food Bank of Delaware to be sure the items collected go to those in need in southern Delaware.”
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, taking place annually on the second Saturday in May. The program was conceived by the National Association of Letter Carriers, in coordination with the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Postmaster General. It began as a 10-city pilot which was a huge success as organizers found that food pantries were often stocked in the winter but had difficulty keeping shelves full in the spring.
The drive went nationwide in 1993 and since it began has collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food.
On Friday, June 19, Anderson, along with other members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, presented a certificate to Park Place, thanking them for their support during the food drive.
