Stamp Out Hunger event to benefit Island Harvest

The one-day Stamp Out Hunger food drive returns this Saturday, after a three-year hiatus.

Residents are asked to leave nonperishable food donations by their mailboxes early on Saturday, May 13, so it can be collected by U.S. Postal Service workers to help in the fight against hunger.

Food collected on Long Island will benefit Island Harvest.

“Participating in Stamp Out Hunger is easy,” Randi Shubin Dresner, CEO of Island Harvest, said in a statement. “Generous Long Islanders are encouraged to leave nonperishable food items in a bag next to their mailbox before the regularly scheduled mail delivery on Saturday, May 13. Then, your USPS letter carrier will do the rest to help make sure that no one on Long Island goes hungry.”

The donations of nonperishable food items can include canned goods, cereal, pasta, rice, boxed juices and shelf-stable milk. Personal care items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, and disposable diapers are also accepted. 

Since its start in 1993, Stamp Out Hunger, which is supported by the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service, has collected more than 1.75 billion pounds of food in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help address the issue of hunger in America. On Long Island, Stamp Out Hunger brought in over 519,000 pounds of food in 2019, the last year it was held before the COVID-19 pandemic pause.

Sponsors of this year’s Stamp Out Hunger event include National Grid, JP Morgan Chase, Amazon, Allstate, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Catholic Health, Nonna’s Garden, Long Island Federation of Labor, MCN Distributors, Dime Community Bank and New York Community Bank.