Vicksburg’s shelters and food pantries were richer Saturday, thanks to the efforts of city and county residents who took the time to leave bags of food by their mailboxes for collection by letter carriers as part of the 24th Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

The annual drive is sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Valpak, United Way, AFL-CIO, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and other partners.

In 2015, over 70 million pounds of food were collected by postal carriers nationally, feeding an estimated 30 million people. Over the course of the 23-year history, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has collected over one billion pounds of food.

“This is a blessing,” said Tina Hayward, executive director of Mountain of Faith Ministries. She said the food will go the organization’s two shelters and to assist people in need who are not at the shelters.

Besides Mountain of Faith, volunteers from the Storehouse Food Pantry and River City Rescue Mission were also at the Vicksburg Post Office to receive and pack the canned goods and non-perishable items in boxes for collection by the different agencies.

While some carriers delivered early, many letter carriers with their vehicles stuffed with food began arriving at the post office on Pemberton Boulevard after 2 p.m.

By 3 p.m. postal worked Renee Maxey said, 6,520 pounds of food had been collected.

“Last year, we collected 14,000 pounds,” she said. “We still have 15 carriers out, so I think we’ll meet that. We might go past.”