FAYETTE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — The annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive returns this Saturday, offering a simple way for residents to help neighbors struggling to put food on the table as rising gas prices and food costs push more families toward food insecurity.
The drive, led by the National Association of Letter Carriers, is the single largest one-day food drive in the country. It began in 1993.
Participating is straightforward: leave a bag of non-perishable food items next to your mailbox Saturday morning. A letter carrier will pick up the donations, bring them to a post office, and from there the food will be distributed to those in need.
In Fayette County, donations will go directly to God's Pantry Food Bank.
"We've got five pantries here in Fayette County that we directly operate. And all of that food will find its way onto those shelves and people can select the foods that they need to thrive," said God's Pantry Food Bank President and CEO Michael Halligan.
The drive comes at a critical moment. In Fayette County alone, 48,000 people, or 1 in 6,struggle with food insecurity. Among children, 13,000, or 1 in 5, don't know when they'll have their next meal.
Halligan says demand is growing.
"We are seeing demand grow every day. There are more and more people that come to us seeking food assistance, many for the first time, who are struggling right now with the funds that they have available and the cost of food and the cost of transportation to get that food," said Halligan.
Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference, according to the food bank.
"Every can helps. Every jar of peanut butter helps feed a child, helps feed a family. Every box of ready to eat cereal provides nutritious breakfast so a child can do better in school. All of those things matter more now than ever," said Halligan.
Peanut butter, in particular, is always in high demand.
"It's a convenient source of protein, it's easy to use, it's a great way to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a child to consume over the weekend, at home, that's always an item that's in demand," said Halligan.
Donations collected from the food drive will help stock the shelves at God's Pantry Food Bank and support its partner pantries and meal programs across 50 counties in central and eastern Kentucky.
If you'd like to learn how to get involved, click here.
