SE Missouri letter carriers to help stamp out hunger on Saturday

SIKESTON – On Saturday letter carriers across Southeast Missouri will again team up to help Stamp Out Hunger along with help from residents.

The nation’s largest one day food drive provides food assistance to the rapidly increasing number of Americans who are struggling with hunger. In 2017, 20,350 pounds of food was received locally through Stamp Out Hunger. This one day food drive helps those neighbors that do not have food on the table.

Now in its 26th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. In Southeast Missouri, 1 out of 4 children goes to bed hungry each night. Children are not the only ones going hungry. Missouri has the sixth highest rate of senior food insecurity in the United States. Food drives like Stamp Out Hunger help. Last year, over 111,629 pounds of food came from food drives. Food drives are key component of our fight against hunger.

“Stamp Out Hunger is an important part of our efforts to feed those in need,” says Southeast Missouri Food Bank CEO Karen Green, adding “the extra work provided by the local letter carriers to help our neighbors is greatly appreciated.” McDonald’s and Depot Bar-B-Que are providing breakfast sandwiches to many of the letter carriers.

To help Stamp Out Hunger this year, simply leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, like canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, next to your mailbox prior to 8 a.m. Saturday. Isle Casino Cape Girardeau provided bags to many residents in Southeast Missouri. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans. Local letter carriers will be collecting donations from homes across the area. From the post office, local agencies along with Southeast Missouri Food Bank will be picking up the food to keep it local. The food collected will stay within the community helping our neighbors in need.

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger effort in Southeast Missouri, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office, visit either http://www.stampouthungerfooddrive.us/ or https://www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger/, or follow the drive on twitter at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.