April 22, 2019
Greetings!
Saturday, May 11th marks the 27th anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving — the
National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
. Letter carriers walk/drive through the community every day, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many, hunger. So, each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations from our neighbors. Many of these donations go directly to the Saint Francis of Assisi Church Outreach Food Pantry to provide food to people in Grove City and Englewood who need our help. Last year, they collected over 71.6 million pounds of food nationally, feeding an estimated 64 million people. Over the course of its 26-year history, the drive has collected well over 1.67 billion pounds of food, thanks to a postal service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands. The need for food donations is great. Currently, 42 million Americans—1 in 6—are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Sixteen million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school. And nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help. For more information about the Stamp Out Food Drive
CLICK HERE
.
Along with our parishioners' generous donations, our Parish Outreach Food Pantry receives the majority of our donations from two food drives. In March, our Knights of Columbus sponsored a food drive to help us fill our empty shelves after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Now, as we enter into the summer, we find ourselves low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
Participating in this year’s
Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
is simple.
1. You can leave a nonperishable food donation in a bag by your mailbox on Saturday, May 11th.
2. You can volunteer to be a driver or a driver-assistant to pick-up donations
(VOLUNTEER BY CHOOSING THE BUTTON BELOW)
.
3.
You can volunteer to help sort and box donations at the Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Hall
(VOLUNTEER BY CHOOSING THE BUTTON BELOW).
Upon signing up to volunteer, you will be sent additional information on times, meeting places and general information in assisting in the Food Drive. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Egan at (215) 962-1942 or Stephen or Penny Fleming at (850) 420-2653.
Please help us in the fight to end hunger.
Sincerely in the Lord,
Father Richard York
Pastor
Saint Francis of Assisi Church
Matthew Egan
Director
Parish Outreach Ministry
