Annual Letter Carriers' food drive taking place May 8

Date: 5/3/2010

May 3, 2010

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



GREATER SPRINGFIELD - 2010 could be a landmark year for the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Their 18-year endeavor could reach one billion pounds of food nationwide with the help of those in the Valley.

The first NALC food drive in 1993 incorporated at least one branch of carriers in all 50 states and has grown into a nationwide phenomenon collecting 73.4 million pounds of food from 1,500 NALC branches in 2009 alone. Letter carriers will collect non-perishable food items left beside mailboxes on May 8 and delivering them to community food pantries throughout the Pioneer Valley.

"It's the easiest way to give," Vincent Siniscalchi, coordinator of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive for NALC, Western Massachusetts Branch 46, said.

"When we first started out, we did a local drive before the national drive [was founded the following year] ... we didn't think we'd reach one billion pounds of food nationally," he added. "When the carriers come back and see the food out on the docks [ready to be distributed to the pantries], they know they're doing something great for the community."

Allison Beatty Maynard, director of Open Pantry Community Services Inc. in Springfield, said her organization is counting on the food drive as they've seen a 17 percent increase in patronage throughout the past nine months.

"Second to the Mayflower Marathon, it is our largest food drive [and] will sustain us for a couple of months," she added.

Candace Larger, program coordinator for Open Pantry Community Services Inc.'s Food Pantry, noted last year's food drive yielded approximately 36,000 pounds of food, which lasts about five weeks.

More than 256,000 pounds of food were collected locally last year, benefiting 24 food pantries in Western Massachusetts for those living in Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Granby, Hampden, Holyoke, Longmeadow, South Hadley, Southwick, Springfield, Westfield, West Springfield and Wilbraham.

Siniscalchi noted that items collected in each town stay in that community. "Some [NALC] branches deliver to the Food Bank but we deliver right back to the local food pantries," he added.

To make a donation to the 2010 NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, leave non-perishable food items such as canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, coffee, pasta, peanut butter and tuna fish by the mailbox on May 8 or drop off food items to the local post office.

For additional information, visit www.nalc.org or e-mail nalc46@nalc46.org.