This Saturday, May 11, letter carriers across the nation and region will be participating in the country’s largest, single-day food drive – Stamp Out Hunger. Mail carriers will pick up non-perishable food donations left at the mailbox by residents as they deliver the mail.
Stamp Out Hunger is the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s largest and most important food drive of the year, as it brings in a large supply of food – more than 192,000 pounds last year – just before the summer, when donations dramatically decrease.
The Food Bank experiences its deepest decline in donations during the summer months, known as the “summer slump.” Stamp Out Hunger helps stock the shelves before the slump begins. While this food drive is a tremendous help, the food will be gone in a matter of weeks because the need for emergency food assistance very high.
In the Central Shenandoah Valley, the Food Bank is providing emergency food assistance to more than 36,000 people each month through its community partners.
Donations are also all the more vital during the summer when school lunch programs are no longer available to children at risk of going hungry. More than 11,000 children in the Central Valley are food insecure.
To view a list of most needed foods, click here. No glass containers please.
To learn more about Stamp Out Hunger, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.
About the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Founded in 1981, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization alleviating hunger in western and central Virginia. Headquartered in Verona, VA, the Food Bank serves 25 counties and nine cities through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester and Verona. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank distributes more than 20 million pounds of food annually to 118,000 people each month through a network of 250 community partners – food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, churches and other non-profit groups. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, a national food bank association that supports 202 food banks across the United States. For more information, visit www.brafb.org.
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AFP
