Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive returns to Tampa for 31st year

TAMPA, Fla. - Metropolitan Ministries and the local branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers teamed up Saturday for the 31st annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food items by their mailboxes for mail carriers to pick up along their postal routes to be donated to local food banks.

"I deliver it to about 588 houses, and if you just imagine if everybody just gave two cans. I have customers who give bags. It's a big deal," mail carrier Dave Lynch said.

Lynch has been a mail carrier for the last 22 years. Every year the second Saturday in May is dedicated to Stamp Out Hunger, which is a charitable initiative to collect food donations put on by local branches of the National Association of Letter Carriers. This year they're celebrating their 31st year, and in Tampa, their sixth year being partnered up with Metropolitan Ministries, which will ensure the food gets to families in need.

READ: ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive returns after 2-year pandemic pause

"Stamp Out Hunger Drive is so important. We really rely on this food. We have empty shelves in our warehouse right now. Times are tough. Everyone's feeling it, especially those families that we serve in those hardest hit neighborhoods," Metropolitan Ministries VP of Marketing & Communications Justine Burke said.

Food being collected for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Fourteen post office locations in Hillsborough County are collecting donations, including the office on Oakellar Avenue, which is expected to collect upwards of 21,000 pounds of food. Last year, Metro Ministries was able to collect a total of more than 70,000 of food from Stamp Out Hunger. It's a mark they say they're already expected to exceed this year.

"We're here to alleviate suffering of people, and the first way to do that is just to welcome them in and give them some food, and then we can go further and take the next step. We like to say hope starts with a meal," Burke said.

If you didn't leave out items Saturday, mail carriers will also be picking up items from mailboxes on Monday.