Letter Carriers work to Stamp Out Hunger for more than 30 years

NOVI — Letter Carriers across the nation will continue their fight to Stamp Out Hunger on May 11 with their annual food drive.

Since 1993, letter carriers have asked residents to leave nonperishable food in a grocery bag on their porches or near their mailboxes once a year for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. The donated food will resupply local food pantries whose inventory is often dwindling at this time of year.

According to James Hunter, regional coordinator for the food drive, the food banks get most of their donations during the holiday season in November and December, and that usually lasts until spring. So, this food drive helps the food banks to provide for families and for children who will now be off school for the summer and without their school lunch programs.   

“As the letter carriers, it’s what we do: We give back,” said Don Ferraro, president of National Association of Letter Carriers branch 3126 in Royal Oak, which covers Novi.

Hunter has been working the drive for the last 31 years, and although now retired from the United States Postal Service, he has no plans of quitting the food drive. He said that one of his goals since he started with the drive has been to have postal management and carriers cooperate with each other in a partnership.

“It works. … It’s the one day that everybody comes together,” Hunter said.

Last year, the campaign brought into local food pantries across southeast Michigan 837,828 pounds of food and $26,000. The goal this year, as it is every year, is to get at least 1 pound more than last year, Hunter said.