Stamp Out Hunger celebrates 25 years

To be a part of the 25th Anniversary of Stamp Out Hunger, simply bag non-perishable food items and leave them beside your mailbox. That’s it. Individual mail carriers will pick up donations and drop them off at the post office. The Second Harvest of South Georgia Food Bank will take it from there.

In the Albany area, collected food is taken from post offices to the Second Harvest of South Georgia warehouse. Trained staff members carefully inspect the items for damage and/or expiration dates as well as any possible recalls.

For most households whose members want to participate in the food drive, a special trip to the grocery store is not necessary. Look in the pantry and on cupboard shelves and give what is available.

Eliza McCall, chief marketing officer of Second Harvest of South Georgia, reported nearly 65,000 pounds of collected food just from Albany post offices in 2016. In the same year, more than 300,000 pounds of food were distributed back into the Albany area through partner agencies.

“This year’s event is crucial,” McCall said. “In the summer months, children do not have the benefit of breakfast and lunch at school, so family budgets are stretched even tighter. On top of the normal additional summer need, we are still serving disaster-affected families in South Georgia.”

Second Harvest of South Georgia serves 30 counties and is the largest rural food bank in Georgia.

Suggested food items for donation include peanut butter, rice, soups, canned fruits and vegetables, dry beans and any other shelf-stable food item.