ST. GEORGE— This Saturday, letter carriers across the state will collect food to go toward feeding the 382,000 Utahns facing hunger.

The Utah Food Bank is asking residents throughout Utah to help “Stamp Out Hunger” by filling a bag with nonperishable food donations and leaving it near their mailbox before 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Local letter carriers will then collect and deliver the food donations to the Utah Food Bank and its statewide network of 150 partner agencies. All donations will be distributed to food pantries located in the community where the donation is made.

“Donations received through this food drive come at a crucial time as school gets out and many kids are left without access to school meal programs,” Ginette Bott, president of the Utah Food Bank, said in a press release. “Community support of this effort will truly make a difference in the lives of the 1 in 7 Utah kids who are unsure where their next meal is coming from.”

Donations can also be dropped off at local food pantries, the St. George Utah Food Bank warehouse or any Harmons location. Donated food should be commercially packaged and nonperishable with an emphasis on items that are low in sodium, sugar and corn syrup. Most needed food items include beef stew, chili, peanut butter, boxed meals and canned meats.

To encourage participation, reminder postcards and bags will be placed in mailboxes during the week leading up to the food drive.

The 27th annual Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is sponsored nationally by the National Association of Letter Carriers in conjunction with the National Rural Letter Carrier’s Association and United States Postal Service. In Utah and across the nation, this food drive has emerged as one of the largest single-day food drives, resulting in the donation of close to 72 million pounds of food nationally last year.

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