Post office food drive set May 9

The Thermopolis Post Office is asking postal customers “to help the hungry” and donate to the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive across America on Saturday, May 9.

All food collected will go to local food bank charities, which will make distributions to area families in need.

Leave bags filled with food items by your mailbox on May 9 – before mail delivery time – for collection. Customers may also bring in food to the post office on Arapahoe Street.

Food items should be nonperishable items, such as canned meats, soup, fruits and vegetables; and packaged nonperishables such as pasta, cereal, and powdered milk.

Donations have grown over the last several years. In 2011, 1,624 pounds of food were collected locally. That collection grew to 2,744 pounds in 2012, 3,250 pounds in 2013 and 3,290 in 2014. The local carriers would be pleased to top last year’s total.

The timing of this food drive is crucial. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted.

All donations stay in our local community.