According to the National Association of Letter Carriers, 13 million children in the United States face hunger every day. Locally 39% of the 92,000 individuals served via the Food Bank are children. "Kids comprise the highest proportion of the people we serve," said Bob Randels, Food Bank executive director.
Last year the Marshall and Battle Creek chapters of the National Association of Letter Carriers donated 13,555 pounds of food to the Food Bank. "We're hoping that the residents of greater Battle Creek continue their tradition of caring via the Letter Carriers' food drive," said Cheryl Proctor, Food Bank operations director.
It's simple to participate, just put a bag filled with nonperishable food items next to your mailbox on May 10, and your letter carrier will pick it up when delivering your mail. In Battle Creek, the food collected will then be picked up at the Post Office and taken to the Food Bank's distribution center for use by its hunger relief network. Items that are always needed at the Food Bank include: canned meats and tuna, soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice.
"We appreciate the extra effort put forth by our local and rural letter carriers," said Proctor. "They take on a lot of additional work to make this event possible. We are very thankful for their continued support."
Stamp Out Hunger is just one of a schedule of events planned during the spring as part of the Food Bank of South Central Michigan's Spring Food Raiser. The Food Bank of South Central Michigan serves an eight county area, including Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, and St. Joseph counties.
The Food Bank is a United Way Program Delivery Partner, a member of America's Second Harvest - the Nation's Food Bank Network and the Food Bank Council of Michigan. To learn more about the Food Bank and the upcoming Spring Food Raiser events, log on to www.foodbankofscm.org.