On Saturday, May 9, Santa Clarita letter carriers will again help Stamp Out Hunger! across America with your help in order to provide assistance to the one in eight Americans who struggle with hunger.

The Stamp Out Hunger! Effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than one billion pounds of food by 2010. Last year, letter carriers across the country collected a record total of food, but with hunger impacting many Americans – including working families, children and elderly – help is needed now more than ever before.

To help Stamp Out Hunger! in Santa Clarita, simply leave a sturdy bag of non-perishable foods, like canned soup, canned vegetables or meat, peanut butter, pasta, rice or cereal next to your mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 9. Food items should be in non-breakable containers such as boxes and cans. Local letter carriers will be collecting donations from homes across the city and delivering them to the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry.

“In these difficult economic times, hunger is an issue that must be addressed in every community across our country.” said William H. Young, NALC president. “We see it daily out on our routes. That’s why now more than ever before we need everybody’s help to make a real difference.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 36 million Americans live in food insecure households, and approximately one in every three of these Americans is a child.

Food Pantries are also notoriously empty during the summer months, having exhausted the supply of donations received from food drives conducted during the holidays that are then distributed in the spring. “The National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive each May is critical to the SCV Food Pantry since schools are not in session and many children in need will not have benefit of the breakfast and lunch programs through the National School Lunch Program during these summer months.” says Belinda Crawford, executive director of the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry.

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger! effort in Santa Clarita, ask your letter carrier, contact the post office or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or contact the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry at 255-9078.