Community Corner

Last Chance: The Post Office Wants Your Non-Perishables

Carriers to collect for Island Harvest on Saturday.

On Saturday, postal carriers will be collecting more than just letters. As part of the National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which aims to provide food to the needy, postal carriers across the United States -- and locally, in Riverhead Town -- will be gathering non-perishable food items left in the mailboxes of their patrons.

Food donations locally are distributed to the hungry through the efforts of Long Island Harvest.

John Ackerman, postal clerk of the Jamesport  says the drive is something an annual tradition, one the post office has participated in during each of the seven years he's worked at the location. In fact, the NALC is celebrating its 20th anniversary of the food drive in 2012.

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"It's nice to help people -- especially those that are hungry," Ackerman said. 

The Jamesport Post Office, unlike others on the East End, does not have mail carriers, only post office boxes, so residents bring food to donate into the location, where postal workers separate the foods. Later, a Long Island Harvest representative collects the food and brings it to the distribution center, Ackerman said.

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Recommended donations include canned and boxed foods, but not non-perishables, he said.

A floundering economy has resulted in a decrease in donations, Ackerman said -- last year, the post office only collected five to seven boxes of food, down from 25 in earlier years. "We've seen a big difference," he said. "People are struggling."

At other post office locations across Riverhead Town post office carriers will be out on Saturday doing their part and residents should leave out non-perishable food items such as cans, peanut butter, jelly and pasta.

To help make the carriers' load a little less taxing, homeowners can place multiple items in bags in front of their mailboxes for the carriers.

According to Island Harvest, all of the goods collected will be sent to soup kitchens and food banks across the island to help feed the 285,000 on Long Island who risk going hungry every day.


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