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‘Stamp Out Hunger’ happening this weekend around the Quad Cities

Letter carriers will collect non-perishable food donations at mailboxes throughout the Quad Cities. The goal is to collect more than 100,000 pounds of food

MOLINE, Illinois - One in five children go hungry every day in our community and some local organizations are working to change that around the Quad Cities.

Saturday, May 13 is the ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive.

Letter carriers will collect non-perishable food donations at mailboxes throughout the Quad Cities. The goal is to collect more than 100,000 pounds of food.

“More than 100,000 bags will be distributed to Quad Cities homes this year to encourage donations. I’m always amazed at the generosity of our community on this day, and we are grateful for every single donation. The Stamp Out Hunger food drive makes a significant impact in feeding the hungry in the Quad Cities,” says Scott Crane, President of United Way of the Quad Cities Area.

“We deliver to every address in the Quad Cities six days a week, and because we’re such a consistent and familiar presence in neighborhoods, we’re all too familiar with the unfortunate reality of ongoing hunger,” says Tracey Bultnick, National Association of Letter Carriers in Rock Island.

Partners of the food drive are also accepting expired food to be donated.

“There’s a perception that expired food isn’t safe to eat but we have research that shows it is okay to eat depending on the food. We encourage everyone to put the expired food out in their mailbox. The food bank will sort through it and make sure it’s safe to eat,” said Nancy Renkes with the River Bend Foodbank.

This is the 25th anniversary of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the nation’s largest one-day food drive. Over the last 24 national food drives, letter carriers have collected more than 1.5 billion pounds of food.

Volunteers are also needed to help sort, pack, and stack the food onto pallets at postal locations for delivery to River Bend Foodbank. Shifts are 12 – 3 p.m. and 3 – 6 p.m. Saturday, May 13.

Post office volunteer locations:
•    Bettendorf - 4439 Devils Glen Rd.
•    Davenport - 933 W 2nd St. & 4018 Marquette St.
•    Moline - 514 17th St.
•    Rock Island - 2633 11th St.

Proud partners in this event include: United Way of the Quad Cities Area, Quad City Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Local Branches #3811 Bettendorf, #506 Davenport, #318 Moline, and #292 Rock Island, National Rural Letter Carriers Association, River Bend Foodbank, and United States Postal Service.

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