Mail carriers seek food donations

Saturday marks the 18th annual National Letter Carrier Food Drive and about the 17th time letter carriers in central Vermont's National Association of Letter Carriers No. 495, which is based in Rutland but also serves the Springfield.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100506/NEWS01/5060373 # # # #        Mail carriers seek food donations  •  From left to right, U.S. Postal Service workers Santiago Sanchez, Steve Turiano and Mike Abatiell hold up signs for The National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive on Wednesday. The food drive will be taking place on Saturday.  •  Cassandra Hotaling / Rutland Herald  •  By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: May 6, 2010  •  There's food in this town.  •  Or at least that's what the U.S. Postal Service letter carriers are hoping to find when they head out Saturday on their routes.  •  Saturday marks the 18th annual National Letter Carrier Food Drive and about the 17th time letter carriers in central Vermont's National Association of Letter Carriers No. 495, which is based in Rutland but also serves the Springfield, Ludlow, Proctor and Poultney regions, have taken up the cause, collecting nonperishable food items as they deliver mail to help stock the county's food shelves.  •  "It's the largest one-day food drive in the nation and for Rutland County," said Chris Greeno, a letter carrier and one of the drive's main organizers.  •  In the 17 years since it began locally, contributions have grown from about 8,000 pounds of food collected in a single day to nearly 28,000 pounds in a single day, a high mark hit last year, Greeno said.  •  That level of donation routinely has central Vermont's effort among the top 10 nationally — typically floating in and out of the 10th position — for its size class, Greeno said.  •  "We're hoping to stay in the top 10," he said. "We are chasing the No. 1 spot, too … but that would be huge. There's a big difference between 10 and one."  •  Greeno estimated the spread to be about 5,000 pounds.  •  There's a reason to try to strive for that goal, however.  •  Campbell Soup Co., one of the national sponsors of the drive, has earmarked an additional 1 million pounds of canned food for donation. That food is divided among the local food shelves in each top participating region, Greeno said. In this area, the food is delivered to the food shelves closest to where it's donated; in the city, the three food shelves that benefit are the Salvation Army, Rutland Community Cupboard and BROC-Community Action in Southwestern Vermont.  •  Discount Food of Rutland made the first dent in that goal, committing to donate 500 pounds of food to the drive.  •  According to Greeno, one of the letter carriers' greatest partners in the drive is the United Way of Rutland County, which coordinates with the food shelves, promotes the drive and helps to receive, sort and ship the donations to the food shelves on Saturday.  •  "The United Way is a national partner, but not everywhere do they come in on Saturday to help with the drive like they do here," Greeno said.  •  Although the city's last food drive was not too long ago, this is an important drive for the area for two reasons: It is the last major food drive until Stuff-A-Bus in November. With school about to let out for the summer, it's also a time when food shelves traditionally see a demand in the community's need because clients of the food shelves are now responsible for feeding their children at least one additional meal a day, Greeno said.  •  Anyone wondering what to donate should consider "what you would feed your own kids for lunch," Greeno said. "That's the need we're trying to meet."  •  The letter carriers ask that anyone interested in participating not include glass items in their donation. Nonperishable items such as peanut butter, jelly, pasta, cereal, canned vegetables, fruit, tuna fish, soup, juices and household items like cleaning supplies, toilet paper and diapers are all welcome.  •  To participate, leave a bag of food donations at your mailbox before your mail carrier arrives Saturday.  •