Springfield IL., May 3, 2017– Central Illinois Foodbank is asking for central Illinois’ support on May 13th as it joins America’s letter carriers and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Hosted each year by the National Association of Letter Carriers, Stamp Out Hunger is the largest single-day food drive in the country. The event helps to support local food banks and the one in six Americans who struggle with hunger.
Central Illinois residents can join Central Illinois Foodbank and support community members who struggle with hunger by simply collecting non-perishable food items and leaving them in a sturdy bag near their mailboxes on May 13th. A letter carrier will collect the donations and deliver them to local food banks and pantries, including Central Illinois Foodbank. Items will then be distributed to those facing hunger right here in central Illinois.
In 2016, the Foodbank received 34,000 pounds of food from the one day collection. “Stamp Out Hunger is like no other food drive. It allows every community across the country to collectively come together on one day to do their part to fight hunger. We are so grateful to community members who donate non-perishable items and for the letter carriers who take the time to collect each bag to help fight hunger in central Illinois,” said Central Illinois Foodbank executive director, Pam Molitoris.
According to Feeding America’s recently released Map the Meal Gap 2016 study, nearly 107,000 people in central and southern Illinois face food insecurity, including nearly 40,000 children. Stamp Out Hunger is the opportune time for the public to support neighbors who struggle with hunger.
The Stamp Out Hunger food drive was created in 1993 by the National Association of Letter Carriers to encourage communities to come together in an effort to stock the shelves of food banks and pantries nationwide. The event is held on the second Saturday of May each year. For 25 years, Central Illinois Foodbank and local letter carriers have worked together to contribute to the national food drive.