The 27th annual national Stamp Out Hunger food drive is planned in communities across the North Olympic Peninsula on Saturday — except in Sequim.
Sequim postal carriers will collect food for the National Association of Letter Carriers’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive on Saturday, May 18.
It is one of the few, possibly only, offices in the U.S. to run a week later.
It is done so as not to interfere with the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s Grand Parade this Saturday.
Food collected will go to local food banks for distribution. Last year, the drive collected over 71.6 million pounds of food across the nation, said Saul Samsky, food drive coordinator in Port Townsend.
To donate, leave non-perishable food donations in a bag near the mailbox on Saturday before the letter carrier arrives.
Donations also can be dropped off at local postal offices.
In the days leading up to the food drive, letter carriers were delivering special bags along with the mail that may be used to make donations.
While all non-perishable donations are welcome, foods that are high in protein such as canned tuna, salmon, beans and peanut butter are most needed.
Canned fruits and vegetables, whole grain, low sugar cereals, macaroni and cheese dinners and 100 percent fruit juice also top the list of most needed items.
Stamp Out Hunger is the nation’s largest single-day food drive.
The National Association of Letter Carriers conducts it each year with the help of sponsors, volunteer organizations and U.S. Postal Service employees in 10,000 communities nationwide.
Since the drive began in 1993, total donations have surpassed 1.6 billion pounds of food.
