May, 5, 2008
SOCIETY
Postal workers gear up for food drive
Food Bank gets a record number of visits in April as grocery prices rise
When: May 10 — put out food in the morning well before your postal carrier usually arrives for regular mail delivery.
How to package: Put items in bags near mailboxes in plain sight — do not leave food in your mailbox.
Examples of items sought: Canned meats and fish, soup, juice, pasta, canned vegetables and fruits, cereal, rice.
Don’t include: glass jars, expired items, previously opened items, bread or other crushable foods, fresh produce.
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ISABELLE DILLS
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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BELLINGHAM — The rising cost of food and gas may cause some people to tighten their wallets, but Ruth Davis said the higher prices shouldn’t close people’s hearts.
Davis is food drive coordinator for the Bellingham post office, one of many in Whatcom County participating in a Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday .
“We know people will be feeling the pinch,” Davis said of rising prices. “But who feels it worse than the poor?”
To give to the food drive, leave nonperishable food items in bags near mailboxes for postal workers and volunteers to collect.
Make sure the food bags are visible from the street — not inside mailboxes, Davis said.
Davis encourages people to leave several bags of food, but even one can makes a difference, she said.
Last year, the food drive set a record, collecting about 60,000 pounds of food in Bellingham, said Mike Cohen, director of the Bellingham Food Bank.
The food bank has had a dramatic increase in client visits this year, and rising food prices are most likely contributing to the increased need for help, Cohen said.
April saw more than 8,000 visits — the most in the food bank’s history, Cohen said.
January, February and March also set records, with more than 7,000 visits each month.
“If there was ever a need to participate in the easiest food drive, it is this year,” Cohen said.
For more information visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.
