A food drive this weekend set a new record. United Way of Forsyth County teamed up with the local post office to again participant in the annual National Letter Carriers Association “Stamp Out the Hunger” drive. Through the event, residents are asked to simply leave nonperishable food items by their mailbox. This year’s drive took place May 10 and 11, with donations also being accepted at the post office throughout last week. This was the fifth year the local post office has taken part in the national event, which is in its 21st year. Melissa Corliss, director of community impact with the United Way, said the event was “successful again.” “More than 19 tons of nonperishable items were collected and distributed to local food pantries,” Corliss said. “The food is being distributed to more than 10 local food banks. “This year, we were able to give to some of the smaller food pantries as well as the larger ones.” The local drive results have improved each year. In 2012, the drive gathered about 18 tons of food. The effort is held each May, prior to summer break. Corliss said that’s important since summer, when students are out of school, is often the time when families most need assistance with food. “It just really makes a big difference for those pantries in the summer when the needs are really high,” she said. Corliss thanked everyone who contributed to the effort, as well as volunteers from food pantries and the mail carriers who picked up most of the donations. “We had volunteers from the pantries that came out to the post office on Saturday to help with the loading and sorting, and the post office staff is always great to be involved with this. It’s an extra burden on their mail carriers, but they’re always so happy to do it. “Again, we were really excited about the community’s willingness to step up and help with this.”
A food drive this weekend set a new record. United Way of Forsyth County teamed up with the local post office to again participant in the annual National Letter Carriers Association “Stamp Out the Hunger” drive. Through the event, residents are asked to simply leave nonperishable food items by their mailbox. This year’s drive took place May 10 and 11, with donations also being accepted at the post office throughout last week. This was the fifth year the local post office has taken part in the national event, which is in its 21st year. Melissa Corliss, director of community impact with the United Way, said the event was “successful again.” “More than 19 tons of nonperishable items were collected and distributed to local food pantries,” Corliss said. “The food is being distributed to more than 10 local food banks. “This year, we were able to give to some of the smaller food pantries as well as the larger ones.” The local drive results have improved each year. In 2012, the drive gathered about 18 tons of food. The effort is held each May, prior to summer break. Corliss said that’s important since summer, when students are out of school, is often the time when families most need assistance with food. “It just really makes a big difference for those pantries in the summer when the needs are really high,” she said. Corliss thanked everyone who contributed to the effort, as well as volunteers from food pantries and the mail carriers who picked up most of the donations. “We had volunteers from the pantries that came out to the post office on Saturday to help with the loading and sorting, and the post office staff is always great to be involved with this. It’s an extra burden on their mail carriers, but they’re always so happy to do it. “Again, we were really excited about the community’s willingness to step up and help with this.”