On Saturday, May 11, there will be a Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, where local carriers will come to Lynn, Nahant, Swampscott, and Saugus to collect donations and non-perishable food items to send to local food pantries. 

The drive was first launched in 1993, making this the 31st annual drive. It is now the nation’s largest one-day food drive, with 300,000 branches collecting and shelving millions of pounds of food nationwide. 

The drive’s purpose is to help fill local food banks across the United States, with the hope of helping those who most need it. 

Matt Titus, the president of the drive for the community branch and who has been participating for the last 21 years, explained how the drive will run and how it will affect the community.

“The community branch is in partnership with Lynn Ladder,” Titus said. “And there will be a bunch of volunteers there, carrying banana boxes to all the pantries.” 

He mentioned some of the local pantries that will benefit from the drive, including the Anchor Pantry in Swampscott and the Salvation Army in Lynn.

“By the end of the day, the food will go out, and it’ll be a proud service to the community,” Titus said.

When discussing its importance and impact on the community, Titus said the food collected will last a long time with families and that it’s coming in at a crucial time. 

“We get to do this food drive right before school ends,” Titus said. “And the foods for families all the way up to the holiday season.” 

“There’s a lot of families that rely on school lunches during this time,” he added.

He also explained that the food reaches various community members of all ages, whether in their 20s, 30s, or elderly. It’s impact reaches many single adults as well. 

Titus and the rest of the NALC (National Association of Letter Carriers) invite those willing and able to participate, give back, or help out in any way they can.

“The need is great, but you can help,” the NALC said in a statement regarding the drive. “We invite you to join letter carriers and our partner organizations in the fight to end hunger in our communities.” 

To learn more about how to help and become more involved, visit https://www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive/find-your-food-bank.