WEEKEND: Peninsula postal carriers to make special food drive pickups

Published 12:01 am Friday, May 10, 2013

Postal carriers across the North Olympic Peninsula — with the exception of Sequim — will participate in the 21st annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on Saturday.

Letter carriers will collect nonperishable food donations in or near mailboxes in Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Port Hadlock and Forks.

Donations go to local food banks.

Postal carriers deliver to homes bags that can be used for donations of such nonperishable food as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal.

The bags can be left by mailboxes Saturday for pickup.

Since heavy traffic is expected for the Sequim Irrigation Festival — it will be in full swing this Saturday with a parade and other activities — Sequim carriers will collect donations next Saturday, May 18.

70 million pounds

In 2012, more than 70 million pounds of food was collected nationwide, feeding an estimated 30 million people.

In Port Angeles, carriers collected 9,972 pounds of food for the community.

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, or follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.