Mail carriers help stamp out hunger

"We look forward to people participating. We did well last year," she said.

Mail carrier Luann McBride said last year postal carriers affiliated with the Lexington Post Office collected over 1,700 pounds of food which was donated to the Lexington Food Bank operated by Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska. "We are shooting for 2,000 pounds of food this year," said McBride.

Food donations can also be dropped off at the front counter of the Lexington Post Office or on the east side dock, said Zimbelman.

This is the 25th year for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which has collected well over one billion pounds of food since its inception.

Although Lexington hasn’t participated every year, it was revived in the area two years ago, said Zimbelman, because both the rural and city carriers wanted to participate.

The timing of the food drive in late spring is based on input from food banks and pantries nationwide who report they start running out of donations received during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods.

Post offices in Cozad, Elwood and Overton also plan to participate with donations going to the Cozad Food Pantry and Gosper County Food Pantry.

Examples of non-perishable items include cereal, rice, pasta, pasta or spaghetti sauce, canned fruit and vegetables, canned meals such as soups and chili, juice, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, canned meats such as tuna, chicken and turkey, and beans, canned or dry.

Zimbelman asked that people not donate items that are homemade or home-canned. In keeping with food-handling and food-safety procedures, food that is opened, damaged or expired will be discarded by the food bank in the sorting process.

The food drive is an effort to raise national awareness about the real, ongoing problem of hunger in every community, and it’s a sincere attempt to use the U.S. Postal system’s unique delivery network to do something about it.

According to statistics on the stampouthungerfooddrives.us website:

• Over 43 million, or 1 in 7, Americans is food insecure. Food insecurity means living at risk of hunger and not knowing where the next meal is coming from.

• Over 13 million, or 1 in 6, children is living in a food insecure household. Hungry children cannot thrive — their physical, intellectual and emotional developments are limited.

• Over 5 million seniors, people age 60 or older, choose between paying rent, utilities and having enough nutritious food.

• One in seven Americans lives at or below the poverty level. The poverty level is $24,447 for a family of four in 2016.