How non-perishable food items and your mail carrier can help end hunger in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This Saturday marks the 31st anniversary of The National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

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“75% of Americans are 1 or 2 paychecks away from needing food assistance and that demand has really grown,” Thigpenn said.

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Jacksonvilles Jim Thigpenn is the President of The National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 53. He says it’s a non-profit that works with local mail carriers all across the world to help end hunger one community at a time with their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

It’s done specifically on the second Saturday in May. Thigpenn explains why.

“The kids are about to get out of school so when they come out of school, they don’t have the pre-school breakfast, the lunch, the after-school snacks and stuff like that,” Thigpenn said.

Related Story: National Association of Letter Carriers to fight hunger in Jacksonville and throughout the country

Here in Jax Jim says The National Association of Letter Carriers teams up with 16 different mail carrier stations.

“To be able to remind everybody that if they take their non-perishable, canned food items and they’d like to donate them to a local food bank then we will be able to pick it up. They set it outside their mailbox and the carriers will do the rest,” Thigpenn said.

Then that food is taken back to a local post office where food banks like Mission House and Celebration Church will come and get it, eventually distributing the food to locals in need.

Thigpenn says The National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has 2500 branches that stretch as far as Guam and The Virgin Islands.

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If you have any questions, comments or concerns please email Presof53@gmail.com