Letter Carriers Seek Payne County Communities’ Help
(STILLWATER, OKLA. / April 29, 2023) – Local letter carriers embark on their mission to collect 15,000 lbs. of food during their route on Saturday, May 11. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) organized the annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and is the country’s largest single-day food drive.
Letter carriers in Stillwater, Cushing and Perkins will leave plastic bags in the mail prior to collection day. Residents are encouraged to fill the bags with non-perishable, unexpired food items and place near their mailboxes on Saturday.
Brenden Swan, coordinator for the food drive in Stillwater, has arranged for his team to sort and donate food items to The Salvation Army and Our Daily Bread. Both nonprofit agencies provide food to those in need.
“We’re asking that people don’t donate glass or expired food,” Swan said.
Suggested non-perishable items to donate include canned goods (meats, fruits or vegetables), pasta, rice, soups, peanut butter, granola bars, cereal, nuts, beans, olive oil and dried fruit.
Stillwater letter carriers set a goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of food this year, This amount is smaller than food drives before the pandemic, where his letter carriers could expect 20,000 pounds of food.
The economy and price of food have greatly impacted everything, Ann Kendrick, Postmaster of the Perkins Post Office said.
Kendrick has led the Perkins’ Letter Carrier’s Food Drive for about 20 years. Each year, they their main goal is to collect as much as they can. The food they receive is delivered to Perkins First United Methodist Church.
In Stillwater, if residents have a P.O. Box or miss their letter carrier, there will be bins in the lobby at the post office, 809 S Lewis St; Homeland, 421 N Main St; and Postal Pack and Ship Plus, 601 S Washington St.
Residents in Perkins or Cushing who have a P.O. Box can drop off food items at their respective post office.
United Way of Payne County helps promote the food drive each year and a portion of the donations is delivered to a partner agency, The Salvation Army. This aligns with one of United Way’s focus areas, reducing poverty.
For more information, contact the United Way at 405-377-2161, learn more at www.unitedwaypaynecounty.org or stop by the office at 109 E. Ninth Ave.
The United Way has been serving the Payne County community for 70 years. They invest donated dollars in their 22 nonprofit, partner agencies to improve the health, education and financial stability of every citizen in Payne County.