Posted on: Saturday, May 10, 2003

Food Bank collection at your mailbox today

The first thing to think about is how remarkable it is that we get mail delivery and pickup on Saturday. That's a rarity in many countries, but expected in ours.

The second is the amazing fact that, for the cost of a single stamp, you can have your letter hand-delivered to someone on the other side of the ocean and continent, quickly and almost always safely.

The third thing to think about is food, and how our letter carriers are doing their part to make sure the shelves of Hawai'i's Food Bank remain well-stocked.

Now in its 11th year, the National Association of Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive is the largest one-day food drive in the United States and has brought in a half-billion pounds of food. Last year alone, letter carriers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands collected more than 62 million pounds of food.

All you have to do is place your food donation by your mailbox. When your carrier delivers your mail, he or she will pick up your donation and take it back to the post office, where it will be sorted and delivered to the Food Bank.

From there, it will get into the hands and on the tables of hard-working, deserving families who need your help. Don't forget.