EDITORIAL
FoodBank 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 FoodBank remain well-stocked.

Now in its 12th 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 61 million pounds of food.

Last year's drive collected 308,356 pounds of food in Hawai'i. It all stays in Hawai'i, helping Hawai'i Foodbank to supply 240 charities that in turn feed about 118,000 people each week.

All you have to do is place your food donation — canned or other nonperishable items — 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 FoodBank.

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