Senator Flanagan Supports USPS Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

New York State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (2nd Senate District) is once again joining the members of the National Association of Letter Carrier's (NALC) to support their annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive.  This year, on Saturday, May 14^th, letter carriers throughout the nation will be collecting food along their normal route to help restock area food banks, pantries and shelters.

The program, in its 24^th year, will help local families that rely on the assistance of their community.  According to the NALC, last year’s drive collected approximately 71 million pounds of food for those in need which brought the grand total to more than 1.4 billion pounds of food collected since the inception of the program.

In an effort to make it more convenient for residents to participate, Senator Flanagan’s office will be collecting donations at his district office in Smithtown every weekday from now until Friday, May 13^th.  Anyone wishing to donate to the food drive can visit his office located at 260 Middle Country Road in Smithtown during normal business hours.

According to the NALC, the list of items that will be collected during the event include non-perishable items such as:

• Cereal
• Pasta
• Pasta Sauce
• Rice
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Canned meals such as soups, chili, pasta 
• 100% juice
• Peanut butter 
• Macaroni & cheese
• Canned protein – tuna, chicken, turkey
• Beans – canned or dry

The organization asks residents to avoid donating expired items, frozen food, homemade food, home-canned items, or food in glass jars.

For residents who would like to make a donation from their home, items will be collected during normal mail routes on Saturday, May 14^th.  All donations should be placed by the mailbox or the front door to allow for easy pickup.  While most post offices are participating in the program, residents are encouraged to check with their personal mail carrier.

“The men and women of the United States Postal Service should be extremely proud of their efforts in helping so many in our region and I thank them for this selfless act of kindness.  I would also like to thank everyone who will be donating to this important effort for being there for their fellow Long Islanders,” stated Senator Flanagan.

Residents who would like more information should click here to visit the Stamp Out Hunger website.