Politics & Government
New Baltimore Postal Users Can Leave Food for Drive
PaulLocal organizations, including the St. Mary Queen of Creation Food Pantry in New Baltimore, benefit from the local postal pick up.
Mail carriers in New Baltimore will be picking up more than mail on May 14.
For the 19th year, the in New Baltimore is participating in the annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NACL) Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive.
The program urges local residents to place unopened nonperishable canned and dry foods near their mailboxes for pickup by mail trucks. Donations will aid local food banks and shelters across the country, including the at in New Baltimore. The pantry is one of the largest of its kind in the area.
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This year, the national effort will include more than 1,500 NACL branches across the nation and more than 10,000 communities. One billion pounds of food has been collection nationally by mail carriers since the program launched in 1993 and last year brought in 77.1 million pounds of food.
“This is huge,” said New Baltimore Postmaster Rob van Vugt. “Saint Mary and other pantries are extremely grateful for what we do and I think it’s one of the best things going on at the post office.”
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According to van Vugt, the New Baltimore Post Office collected a total of 19, 252 pounds of food. In 2009, the total was 17, 881 pounds of food. This year’s goal is to exceed last year’s total.
Denise Parks of Chesterfield Township is directing the NACL food drive for St. Mary Queen of Creation Food Pantry this year. She said donations received through the effort usually keep the pantry stocked from May through October. According to Parks, an annual holiday food drive held at the church’s school usually reserves the pantry the remaining months of the year.
Parks said, “I can rely on this to provide food for many months, but you never know how much you will receive with the economy the way it is. Donations fluctuate and depend on how many other pantries are asking for donations.”
New Baltimore postal carriers will extend donation pickup and drop through May 16, van Vugt said. Appointments are not needed for drop off donations.
Next month a decorated collection box will be placed in the foyer of the New Baltimore post office at 35339 23 Mile. For more information or to volunteer, contact the post office at 586-725-6575 or visit www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive.
