What Does Your Postal Carrier do with Food Put Out for the Stamp Out Hunger Drive?

Every year at this time you receive a card in the mail alerting you to the postal carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.  You should see that card soon, because the drive is this Saturday, May 14. Hopefully, you've been responsive and put a few bags of dry and canned goods by your mailbox each year. Did you ever wonder what happened to all that food?

Well, all of the food collected in Bethel stays right here in town. I am on the board of a local organization called Brotherhood-In-Action (BIA), and (as we have in past years) this Saturday we will descend on the post office downtown to pick up all the food that is collected. 

The residents of Bethel have always been very generous with this program. Have you ever seen one of those large, opaque plastic bins that are used to transport the mail?  In 2010 enough food was donated to fill 220 of them! Although you may find it hard to believe that there is so much need in a small town like Bethel, I assure you that all of this food - and more - is used to help people who really need it.  I'll write more about this and the BIA organization in future blogs.

As each carrier returns from their route, the food is consolidated onto the loading dock.  Once the last carrier is in, we load all the bins into a large truck and take a short drive up the street to BIA "headquarters" - the basement of 137 Greenwood Ave. - where it is stowed for future sorting.  More about that next time.

Everyone in the USPS deserves a hand for the work they do in carrying out this drive.  It's a lot of extra work for them and they do it happily, so next time you see your carrier, or are in the post office downtown, please thank them for their efforts.