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The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) of Austin has announced the 32nd annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive to be held on May 10. 

They will hold their drive in conjunction with the 33rd national carrier food drive, which is conducted each year on the second Saturday in May. Carriers will be delivering bags donated by Hy-Vee the week of the food drive. 

In over three decades, letter carriers nationally have collected nearly two billion pounds of food to help feed the hungry. Nationally, carriers set a record collecting 11 million pounds in 2024, and Austin area letter carriers collected food and financial donations equaling over 19,000 pounds of food. 

Carriers are asking residents of Austin to place nonperishable food items in bags near their mailboxes for a carrier or volunteer to pick up on May 10. The donations are then delivered to the local food shelf. In Austin, it’s the Salvation Army. 

To ensure all food donated is collected, they ask residents to have their food out at the mailbox by 9 a.m. However, if that is inconvenient or if they forget, carriers will collect the food whenever residents get it out, including the Friday before or Monday after. 

This is a rain or shine event. Donations can also be left at the Salvation Army or the Post Office. Monetary gifts are accepted but checks should be made out to the Salvation Army. Residents can donate directly to the Austin food shelf using https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/ northern/austin/. 

Residents in rural areas should check with their local post office on how to donate. In the past, food drives have been held in Rochester, Albert Lea and Mason City. 

The two most vulnerable groups in America and Mower County for food insecurity are children and the elderly. 

According to the Hometown Food Security Project, Mower’s food insecurity rate is 8.4%, a number that is growing and currently exceeds the state average of 6%. It also reports that 1 in 7 kids are food insecure within the county and among those 60 and over, it is estimated that 24% of the population is considered food insecure.

Those struggling to make ends meet tend to buy the cheapest least healthy food to stretch their income making healthy donations to food shelves vitally important. 

Stacy Wisemore, food shelf director at the Austin Salvation Army, said the items most needed include: canned beans, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meat, peanut butter, mac and cheese, cereals, rice, pasta and soups.