Local Letter Carriers to Collect Food Donations to Help Fight Hunger in Central Texas

Central Texans will begin receiving paper H-E-B donation bags in their mailboxes this week as letter carriers with the National Association of Letter Carriers prepare for Stamp Out Hunger, the largest national one-day food drive.

Residents are being asked to fill the bag with healthy nonperishable food items and to place the bag by their mailbox before their regular mail delivery date on Saturday, May, 9. All the food collected in the Central Texas region will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, the largest hunger relief charity in Central Texas.

“Stamp Out Hunger comes at a time when the Food Bank desperately needs donations,” said Hank Perret, Capital Area Food Bank president and CEO. “During the summer, food assistance is in high demand, because many children do not have access to school lunches and are relying on a nutritious meal at home. The donations we receive from this one-day food drive allow us to be prepared to help families in need.”

Last year, more than 100,000 pounds of food was collected, allowing the Food Bank to provide nearly 90,000 meals to hungry Central Texans.

“As a community, we can come together to provide hunger relief for our families in need with a simple donation,” Perret said.

The Food Bank’s most requested items include peanut butter, canned protein, canned low sodium vegetables, dry pinto beans, brown rice, non-fat dry milk powder and whole grain cereal.

If a resident does not receive an H-E-B paper bag, they can fill any sturdy plastic or paper bag and set it by the mailbox on May 9 for their neighborhood letter carrier. Donations can also be delivered to any local post office. The following five H-E-B locations will also accept donations for Stamp Out Hunger:

Austin 2 – 6607 S. Interstate Highway 35 on William Cannon Drive
Austin 20 – 6601 West Parmer Lane on McNeil Drive
Austin 23 – 6900 Brodie Lane near William Cannon Drive
Austin 25 – 500 Canyon Ridge Drive on Parmer Lane and Interstate Highway 35
Round Rock 5 – 250 University Blvd off Intestate Highway 35

For more information about the Capital Area Food Bank, visit www.austinfoodbank.org. For more information about Stamp Out Hunger, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.

About Capital Area Food Bank of Texas:

The mission of Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger. Founded in 1981, CAFB provides food and grocery products through a network of 300 Partner Agencies and nutrition programs, serving nearly 46,000 people every week. Headquartered in Austin, CAFBserves 21 counties in Central Texas, an area about twice the size of Massachusetts. For more information on CAFB and its programs, visit www.austinfoodbank.org.