This week the U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers will be holding their biggest charitable drive by collecting canned goods for the needy.
It’s a quick, simple way to help, and we encourage everyone to take part whether by getting rid of those unwanted cans of green beans or buying a few new cans specifically for the drive.
Warren County is well known for it’s giving. For example last year, our community gave $1.2 million to the United Way. The community also gave a healthy amount of food for the letter carriers’ food drive, and now it’s time to do it again.
“It was outstanding last year,” Vicksburg Postmaster Bobby James told us. “We’re hoping to duplicate that success.”
At least six local agencies will receive donations after the food boxes are filled at the post office, James said. Though many of us have plenty of food on the table each day, an estimated 1 in 6 Americans struggle with hunger. In rural areas, about 15.5 percent of homes can’t put enough food on the table for their families, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The elderly are also at risk. Across the county, about 2.8 million households with seniors experienced food insecurity, and 1.1 million households composed of seniors living alone had the same problem, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging.
It’s a problem that we can easily fight by dropping some cans in your mailbox or taking them to the Post Office on Pemberton Square Boulevard.
“Whatever they can give, they can bring it by Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday or they can leave it in or by their mailbox,” said Tommy Atlas who is serving as coordinator for the drive.
Drop a few cans in your mailbox today.