A little food left at the mailbox Saturday could make a ton of difference for the Salvation Army.
That’s when postal workers will hold their 15th annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive. On Saturday, Emporia’s letter carriers will pick up any canned food or other non-perishable food items left by the mailbox and take it to the Salvation Army’s food pantry.
The food drive usually collects about three to four tons of food. That’s about the weight of an Indian elephant or two to two and a half automobiles.
And just like the actual mail, neither rain nor sleet will keep the letter carriers from getting the food delivered.
“They have done it in the rain before,” said Duane Dreiling of the United Way of the Flint Hills, which helps coordinate volunteer help for the effort. “They just ask that people put their items in plastic bags.”
Volunteers from Emporia High School will help get the food off the mail trucks and weigh it to see how much was received. Boy Scout volunteers will help unload it at the Salvation Army.
According to Becky Gentry of the Salvation Army, the food pantry especially needs:
• Canned meats
• Dried beans
• Rice
• Spaghetti
• Chili
• Cereal
• Peanut butter
“The pantry overall, except for those items, is doing all right,” Gentry said.