USPS mail carriers gear up to collect food for annual ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ drive

Mail carriers across Hawai‘i will participate in the Postal Service’s effort to “Stamp Out Hunger” across the nation on May 11 in the 32nd annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive.

During the drive, the nation’s largest one-day food collection effort, USPS mail carriers do double duty—delivering mail and picking up food donations. Those donations are then distributed to local food banks, such as the Hawai‘i Foodbank.

Last year’s “Stamp Out Hunger” effort in Hawai‘i netted more than 193 tons of food donations. In addition, more than $26,000 in monetary donations were received during the drive, enough for local food banks to purchase another 157 tons of food.

The goal for 2024 is to top last year’s totals.

“In addition to collecting food at mailboxes, spokesperson and Pearl City mail carrier Adele Yoshikawa said Hawai‘i mail carriers this year will once again offer customers the option to support the drive virtually, via monetary donations rather than actual food items.

“Offering the community a monetary donation option is a ‘win-win’ proposition,” Yoshikawa said. “It’s so much easier for our customers. It also enables us to maximize the impact of customer support for those in need. In the past, a customer may have used $20 to purchase and donate one 25-pound bag of rice. But, that same $20 donated virtually can be used to purchase 240 pounds of food or 25 entire meals.”

Drive supporters can donate to the cause by texting “NALC” to “71777,” which will lead to a Hawai‘i “Stamp Out Hunger” web page that invites them to provide financial support.

More than 1,000 mail carriers in Hawai‘i and 175,000 nationwide have collected more than 1.9 billion pounds of food during the campaign’s first 31 years.

“This annual food drive demonstrates how the Postal Service goes beyond just delivering the mail to help those in our communities who are less fortunate,” said Yoshikawa.