Local letter carriers across Cape Ann last week collected 17,043 pounds of food donations for The Open Door at Saturday’s 32nd National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
“The annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive unites neighborhoods here on Cape Ann and across the country to alleviate the impact of hunger right where we live. Letter carriers, volunteers, staff, and donors join the massive one-day food collection working shoulder to shoulder to connect our neighbors to good food,” President and CEO Julie LaFontaine said. “The coordinated effort illustrates once again how this community shows up to care for one another when hard times come.”
Every year, participating NALC Branch members collect nonperishable food donations left by mailboxes to feed families across the country. Locally, NALC Branch 25 members from the Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Ipswich post offices collect donations left by mailboxes to support hunger-relief programs of The Open Door.
Donations were dropped off at The Open Door on Saturday, where volunteers process and sort them to connect their neighbors to good food.
“With the help of an amazing team of volunteers and letter carriers, our staff run a lean and efficient sorting event to turn around over 17,000 pounds of donations for immediate distribution through our food security programs,” said Director of Operations Jen Perry.
By the end of the day on Saturday, donations had traveled from mailboxes directly to the shelves at The Open Door.
The Open Door is a community organization that alleviated the impact of hunger in our community by using practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in need, and to engage others in the work of building food security. In 2023, The Open Door 1.98 million pounds of food to 9,836 people from 4,952 households.
