Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive will take place May 11

Volunteer William Rush, left, and USPS letter carrier Ronal Reyna, right, unload food from Reyna’s USPS mail truck during the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive at the Interfaith Emergency Services Reuben Brawner Food Distribution Center in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, May 13, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

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Posted May 1, 2024 | By Susan Smiley-Height, [email protected]

The annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive will take place nationwide on May 11. Local donations will stay in Marion County to help individuals and families. This year’s food drive will be the 32nd for Ocala/Marion County.

Karla Greenway, executive director of Interfaith Emergency Services (IES), which is a lead agency for not only the food drive but for the subsequent distribution of food, this year launched a video campaign leading up to the drive.

“I’m doing a mailbox challenge and seeing how many people I can get to do a short video at their mailboxes to remind people to participate,” Greenway said.

She did her own video, which can be seen at drive.google.com/file/d/1iReWz0yal3cITi4_yfMUTIMS3Ufdh4Ns/view

Greenway is asking that others make a video to share.

“Please have someone shoot a simple video (via smart phone) of you by your mailbox asking people to support the Letter Carrier’s Food Drive on Saturday, May 11. Be brief—videos around the 30 second mark get the most views. Be strait to the point. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Once you shoot your video, post it and tag us (facebook.com/iesmarion). We want to circulate them daily the week leading up to the food drive so people don’t forget,” she noted.

Her sample script includes details such as, “Did you know that the National Association of Letter Carriers campaign provides over 50,000 pounds of food for Interfaith Emergency Services each year? Interfaith is a local organization that helps thousands of households in need throughout Marion County. The letter carrier food drive stocks the pantry shelves at Interfaith.”

On May 11, donors can put donations of food into their mailbox or place the items close by for pickup. Donations also may be made in post office branches leading up to May 11.

IES, which was formed in 1983, helps approximately 30,000 people annually. Clients range from those who may be experiencing homelessness, to senior citizens and veterans, and people with disabilities or who are struggling to make ends meet. Clients are referred by word of mouth and entities such as houses of worship and public services agencies. IES provides basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medications and hygiene items. IES partners with a number of local organizations to make the food collected during the drive available across the county.

Rising costs of groceries and rent mean that many local nonprofits like IES are seeing more people than ever. The majority of the food that will come in through the drive will help the agency get through the summer months, especially when children are out of school and staying at home, and any excess with be shared with IES partner pantries.

The most needed items are staples such as peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, macaroni and cheese, soup, rice, pasta and sauce, and other basics.

On the day of the drive, IES volunteers will drive around the county to help collect the donations as they are brought in by mail carriers. When the vehicles arrive at the IES warehouse near downtown Ocala, more volunteers sort the food donations for distribution to those who need them most.

To learn more, go to Fb.com/STAMPOUTHUNGEROCALAFL