Letter carriers' food drive fills community need

Jul 01, 2023

SUPERIOR — The Superior Post Office will hold its annual Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Saturday, May 13. This year marks the 31st anniversary of the donation drive.

Residents can leave nonperishable food donations in a bag by their mailbox by 9 a.m. the day of the food drive and volunteers will pick it up. The food will be distributed to food pantries at the Salvation Army, Faith United Methodist Church and Northwest Wisconsin Community Service Agency.

"Our food drive's timing is crucial," said Superior letter carrier Lynette Erickson in a news release. "Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need."

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the letter carriers’ drive provided about three months worth of food for the food pantry at Faith United Methodist Church, according to co-coordinator Linda Berg.

"It helps the community work together to provide for our community," she said.

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The church food pantry has seen a jump in need, Berg and co-coordinator Don Johnson said. They were serving an average of 45 families per week until early April. For the past four weeks, they’ve averaged more than 70 families per week.

"It's gone up considerably in the past few weeks," Johnson said.

Northwest Wisconsin Community Service Agency provides both a traditional food pantry for Douglas County residents as well as a supplemental pantry for seniors age 60 and older. The nonprofit has also seen need increase. Over the winter, they served up to 325 families a month, according to food security manager Rick Anderson. By March, that had risen to 545.

Postcards were sent out earlier this week to residents served by the Superior Post Office, reminding them of the upcoming food drive.

Erickson provided a list of the most needed items. It included peanut butter, jelly, canned fruit and vegetables, cans of tuna, spaghetti sauce, cereal, pancake mix, syrup, rice, pasta and soups. Ready-to-eat and breakfast foods are most needed, she said.

Johnson encouraged people to check expiration dates before donating items.

"We could use the food, but it's not just an opportunity to clean the cupboards," he said.

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In addition to donations, volunteers are being sought to help collect, weigh and sort food during the drive. Anderson said food drive volunteers can meet at the post office at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and sign in to help. Contact Erickson at the Superior Post Office, 715-394-7209, for information or to volunteer.

This story was updated at 5:05 p.m. on May 13 to update the dates Salvation Army Food Pantry is open and at 12:30 p.m. May 10 with additional information on the need for food at local pantries, options for volunteering, and pictures of the postcards being sent to residents. It was originally posted at 7 p.m. May 8.

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