Food Drive collects 8,000 pounds of non-perishable food

Published 10:18 am Monday, May 11, 2009

Letter carriers were out in full force Saturday, but not just to deliver the mail.

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) conducted their 16th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive in Austin. The cities of Dexter, Rose Creek and Racine also jumped on board this year. All donations will benefit the Salvation Army food shelf in Austin.

About 10 Austin High School students, as well as National Honor Society advisor Sharon Alms and her husband, Walt, helped the carriers collect more than 8,000 pounds of non-perishable food from doorsteps all day Saturday.

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The weather was chilly and the sky was overcast, but the volunteers avoided rain, not that it would have stopped them.

“It may be cold outside, but generosity is warm here,” said Troy Nelson, letter carrier and food drive organizer, as he collected a donation from Elaine O’Brien. Nelson has delivered her mail for 19 years, and she participates in every food drive.

Although the post office estimated about 8,000 pounds of food was collected Saturday, more donations will be picked up Monday and Tuesday. Donations from Dexter, Rose Creek and Racine will also be tallied Monday.

In Austin and Mower County, they collected more than 9,000 pounds of food for local food shelves last year.

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” Nelson said. “Any time we get over 7,000, 8,000 is great.”

Nelson credited the high school students and the Almses for their hard work.

“Most of the food is picked up by them, so that’s great,” he said.

The Salvation Army told Nelson they expect the food drive to carry their food shelf supply through most of the summer.

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the largest one-day food drive locally and is held in conjunction with a nationwide food drive coordinated by the national union and local branches.

Letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities from coast-to-coast signed up to collect food Saturday, making it the largest one-day food drive in the nation.