U. NAZARETH TWP., Pa. — As part of an initiative with the National Association of Letter Carriers, food banks will be accepting donations this Saturday — and all you have to do is leave the food on your doorstep.
One of the agencies handling the distribution of the goods in the Lehigh Valley is Second Harvest Food Bank.
- Stamp Out Hunger is this Saturday, May 13
- The program is coordinated with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
- Second Harvest Food Bank is a local organizer and officials say demand is great
Second Harvest held a news conference Thursday to get the word out, and make sure people know there's an easy way to get extra food to a good home.
Addresses eligible to donate will get a small card in the mail with the National Association of Letter Carriers' "Stamp out Hunger" branding.
Meet Frank
Acting as an ambassador for the program was Frank Kelly Jr., who retired from the U.S. Postal Service two years ago. He worked there for 35 years, but now is more of a musician than a mailman.
"I just play my guitar in my living room now," he said with a laugh, while doing an air-guitar gesture.
"If you put out these non perishable food items, make sure not to do glass — glass breaks, and unfortunately, when they process it here in the plant, one jar can contaminate the whole bin of food. I know everybody wants to clean out their cabinets, but, you know, maybe make a Ragu or something some other day."Frank Kelly Jr., retired mail carrier
He says he's always looked forward to the annual food donation event during his time as a mail carrier.
"It's one day when the entire postal community comes together to work on this," he said. "And as much grumbling as sometimes they do, they're all willing participants."
By the grumbling, he later explained he meant that working conditions are already tough for mail carriers, and some don't always appreciate the extra demand of having to move a bunch of food, on top of their regular responsibilities.
"The postal community really rallies around the food drive," he said. "So that's pretty cool."
Dos and don'ts
While Second Harvest says it's grateful for all donations, they are especially in need of low-sodium canned vegetables, canned proteins like tuna and chicken, whole grains, canned fruit in natural juices, and personal care items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and soap.
Items packaged in glass are not recommended for donation.
"If you put out these non-perishable food items, make sure not to do glass — glass breaks," Kelly said. "And unfortunately, when they process it here in the plant, one jar can contaminate the whole bin of food."
"I know everybody wants to clean out their cabinets," he said, but, you know, maybe make a Ragu or something some other day," he said with a laugh.
An important year for food donations
Second Harvest spokesperson Nicole Folino says the need is especially great right now.
"SNAP benefits were taken back to pre-pandemic levels as of February 2023, leaving most families and individuals with approximately half of what they were receiving previously, due to the elimination of COVID-19 emergency funding," Folino said. "This has created a strain on our resources at our food pantries, and we see an additional increase every day."
Second Harvest has a giant warehouse outside Nazareth where they store their food, inspecting and prepping it to be given to those in need.
"It goes out just as fast as it comes in," said a warehouse worker.
More information on the program is available on the National Association of Letter Carriers website.
