The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the state’s largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization, is seeking the public’s participation in this year’s National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, happening on Saturday, May 9. Residents of Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties can leave bags of non-perishable food donations by their mailboxes that day for their mail carriers to pick up. Now in its 33rd year, Stamp Out Hunger is the nation’s largest one-day food drive, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns throughout the United States.
Last year, the drive generated nearly 140,000 pounds of food for CFBNJ – enough to feed more than 116,000 neighbors in need for a full day. Nearly 1.1 million people in New Jersey are food insecure, including more than 70,000 people in South Jersey, and all donations to this year’s drive will directly benefit the FoodBank’s work to feed those in need. Participants can easily make a difference right from their front doors.
CFBNJ distributes food through its network of more than 800 local community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, mobile pantries, child and senior nutrition programs, and more. Last year alone, the FoodBank distributed enough food for more than 90 million nutritious meals.
“The prices of necessities have skyrocketed and so has the need for food assistance. Public support for food drives like Stamp Out Hunger is more critical than ever before,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “We appreciate the National Association of Letter Carriers, the participating post offices, the hardworking letter carriers who make the drive possible, and everyone who donates food to help put meals on our neighbors’ tables.”
Most needed non-perishable food items include canned fish and meat (tuna, chicken, ham), shelf-stable milk, boxed meals (pasta, cereal, rice, potatoes), canned and packaged meals (mac & cheese, chili, soups), peanut butter, and canned fruits and vegetables.
Residents outside of Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties can visit NALC.org and put in their zip codes to find out if their post offices are participating in the drive. Donations collected in those three counties will benefit CFBNJ.
