Macomb County
residents donate nearly
500,000 pounds of food

By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

Macomb County residents made a very special delivery May 10, offering up nearly 500,000 pounds of food to the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, the nationwide event encourages homeowners to place non-perishable food in their mailboxes, which is collected by postal workers and given to local organizations that assist the needy.

According to the NALC, the drive — held each year on the second Saturday in May — is “the world’s largest one-day effort to collect and distribute food to the less fortunate.”

This year’s event garnered 472,252 pounds of food in Macomb County, representing 10,172 pounds more than last year.

“The Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers are grateful for the response from Macomb County residents, particularly in light of the difficult economic times affecting our area,” said Dan Orton, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. “There is a high probability that many families who donated food in 2007 might very well be on the receiving end in 2008, so we especially want to acknowledge those who dug a little deeper this year. Knowing that fewer families were in a position to make a food donation in 2008 makes this year’s overall increase both impressive and heartening.”

Sue Figurski, food coordinator with the Macomb Food Program, said the drive was truly a joint effort between local residents, businesses and organizations.

“It’s really the community supporting the community,” she said.

The efforts of the postal carriers and participating residents were augmented by Comtrex and Great Lakes Recycling, which offered boxes to package the food; Teamsters 299, who provided semi-trucks, drivers and fuel to transport the food from the post offices to food banks; and Fraza Forklifts, which donated equipment related to the transport, she said.

The Macomb Food Program, which distributes staples to food pantries throughout the area, received 266,000 pounds of Macomb County’s Stamp Out Hunger collection; the rest goes to local churches and organizations like the Salvation Army, said Figurski.

“This food drive is so important, because basically, it really and truly supplies probably about a quarter of the food we distribute throughout the year,” she said.

Figurski, who also was a member of the drive’s planning committee, said the initiative is especially relevant now, when people are struggling under the burden of lost jobs, steep gas prices and rising food costs. Many residents don’t realize how much their neighbors might be suffering, she said.     

“If you donated to this food program, you made a huge difference in our ability to continue providing emergency food items to families in Macomb County,” she said. “We certainly want to thank everyone for their generosity.”

Locally, NALC revved up support among postal workers and the public with a Stamp Out Hunger Rally held at Freedom Hill County Park in Sterling Heights May 4. The event featured food, music, games, inflatables, raffles, a talent contest and other activities.

Figurski said organizers hope to make the rally even bigger and better next year.

The Macomb Food Program is seeking volunteers to help sort food. To assist, call (586) 469-6004.

For more information on Stamp Out Hunger, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.

You can reach Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1046.