Contact: Bryan Helleso

319-235-0507 ext. 116

THE NORTHEAST IOWA FOOD BANK WORKS WITH

LETTER CARRIERS TO STAMP OUT HUNGER!

Waterloo, IA (May, 2017) – Letter carriers walk through our community every day, often coming face-to-face with a sad reality for too many, hunger.

On Saturday, May 13th, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will collect food donations to provide assistance to the millions of Americans who are struggling with hunger. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, theStamp Out Hungerfood drive is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than one billion pounds of food since its inception as a national food drive in 1993.

The nation’s 180,000 letter carriers will collect food donations left at the mailboxes of Americans in more than 10,000 communities and deliver them to food banks and other hunger-relief organizations.

Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect

Non-perishable food donations. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in our community who need our help. Last year’s drive brought 33,582 pounds to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.

On the morning of Saturday, May13th, leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag near your mailbox and your letter carrier or a volunteer will make sure it gets delivered to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank for distribution in the community. The drive will take place rain or shine.

Wonder what foods are great to donate to the food drive? Here are a few non-perishable food items requested by the Northeast Iowa Food Bank:


•Cereal •Pasta

•Rice •Canned fruits and vegetables
•Canned meals such as soups, chili, pasta •100% juice

•Peanut butter •Canned pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce
•Macaroni & cheese •Canned protein – tuna, chicken, turkey
•Beans – canned or dry

“During the summer months we often see a shorter supply of food, this drive helps us stock our food supply to help families in need,” commented Barbara Prather, Executive Director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. “The support we receive through the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive helps to meet the needs of families in the Cedar Valley during early summer.”

For more information about the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, call 319-235-0507 or email .

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank provides nutritious food and grocery products, to about 200 nonprofit organizations and programs who assist the hungry, and to individuals who need food assistance to sustain life. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 6 million pounds of food, which provided over 5 million meals, within a 16-county service area.

The Food Bank provides eight programs that serve the Community-Member Agency Distribution, Cedar Valley Food Pantry, the BackPack Program, Kids Cafe, Elderly Nutrition, Mobile Food Pantries, Summer Feeding and a Community Garden. Encompassing all of these programs is nutrition education. The Food Bank is a member of the Iowa Food Bank Association and Feeding America. For more information about hunger in northeast Iowa visit: www.northeastiowafoodbank.org or find us on Facebook.

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