'Stamp Out Hunger' Benefits Community Cupboard

The National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Campaign, the largest one-day food drive in the nation, is set to take place Saturday, and members of the community are encouraged to participate.

The campaign has been taking place for 22 years with over 1,500 NALC branches in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands participating.

It’s simple, really. All people have to do is place non-perishable food items next to their mailbox and their local mail carriers will pick up the donations and deliver them to local community food banks. All donations collected in the Menifee Valley area will be donated to the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard.

“Every bit of it stays and we’re very happy that we’re able to collect it all and have it all stay here in Menifee… that food drive is huge in terms of what we’re able to distribute back out,” said Dawn Prather-Smith, program director for the Community Cupboard.

Once the donations have been collected, they will be delivered to the MVCC ,where they are separated and then packaged for the organization’s clients.

The MVCC has been participating in the Stamp Out Hunger Campaign since 1998, averaging around 12,000 pounds of donated food each year. With a meal averaging around one pound, these donations contribute to 12,000 meals for people in need in the Menifee Valley area.

“We’ve received as much as 14,000 pounds of food,” said Prather-Smith. “It’s one of the major food drives throughout the year that really helps us fill the food boxes for our clients.”

If donations are forgotten on Saturday, they can be left out on Monday for letter carriers to pick up and deliver to the MVCC.

For questions regarding the MVCC and the Stamp Out Hunger Campaign, please visit the MVCC’s website.