By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune Managing Editor
One of the biggest food drives of the year to benefit low-income families in Northern Kentucky is set for Saturday, May 9.
And donors won’t have to go any further than their mailboxes to participate.
On that day, residents and businesses are asked to leave nonperishable food by their mailboxes, where letter carriers will pick it. It will then be distributed to one of 12 nonprofits that provide food assistance to people who desperately need it.
The effort by National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 374 is part of the national Stamp Out Hunger drive, the largest such event in the United States. Branch 374 carriers have participated each year since the drive started nationally 22 years ago. Last year they collected more than 44,000 pounds of food.
The timing of the drive couldn’t be more opportune, said Andy Brunsman, director of Be Concerned, a free food pantry in Covington that hosted more than 2,100 shopper visits in the first quarter of 2015. Food supplies swelled by holiday donations have been depleted and the drive gives agencies an opportunity to restock their shelves.
“Summer time is a slow time for donations because schools are out,” he said. “This drive helps to fill the void caused by the summer break.”
The drive makes for a long day for mail carriers, who in addition to their typical load of magazines, letters and bills must also tote the food their route customers donate.
Gary Smith, who is heading up the effort for Letter Carriers Branch 374, said the carriers don’t mind the extra effort.
“The Northern Kentucky Letter carriers serve their communities six days a week, just by doing their jobs, but their commitment to service extends far beyond walking their mail routes,” Smith said. “NALC’s long-time commitment to community service is evident at every level, from the letter carriers who organize and participate in numerous charitable events to the coordinated efforts by NALC Headquarters. Our goal is to see the community come together for those in need and help Stamp Out Hunger.”
Branch 374 has collaborated with the Safety Net Alliance of Northern Kentucky on the drive the past four years. The Safety Net is a consortium of more 100 organizations – nonprofits, churches, schools, government entities – that works to eliminate duplication and maximize efficiencies in services to low-income residents.
Other agencies that will receive food from the drive include Action Ministries in Latonia, Fairhaven Mission in Covington, Brighton Center, St. Paul Episcopal Church Pantry and Hosea House Echo Soup Kitchen in Newport, Care Mission in Alexandria, Pantry of Hope in Highland Heights, United Ministries and United Christian Volunteers in Erlanger, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Senior Services of Northern Kentucky.