Foley, Ala. — This Saturday, on May 10, the National Association of Letter Carriers will hold the NALC National Food Drive.

The largest one-day food drive gives the community a simple way to help fight hunger.

The only thing that residents need to do is place their donation by their mailbox on Saturday. The mail carrier will take care of it from there.

Donations should be non-perishable, unopened items and should be in a bag. Please refrain from sending glass container items.

Although there are food drives in the winter for the holiday season, by spring the supply is low.

An estimated four percent of Americans are effected by this issue. Whether it be from eating too little, skipping a meal or not eating in a whole day, the problem does exist and isn’t always obvious.

A big concern in the issue of hunger is children. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that more than 12 million children in the U. S. live in a household without a secure food situation. With school ending, the problem grows.

Without the free lunch system at school, there is one more meal that a parent needs to provide to their child. This adds extra strain to a family's financial situation.

Last year, 70.7 million pounds of food were collected, making it the fourth consecutive year that the food drive amassed more than 70 million pounds of food.

The food donated here in Baldwin County will stay within the county to serve our residents. The food will be donated to Ecumenical Ministries, a United Way Agency that aids families in a time of crisis.

A family in need receives a seven-day food supply that is setup to create balanced meals. From there the agency helps the family apply for food stamps.

Pam Meredith, director of the South Baldwin Ecumenical Ministries, Inc., says that the supply is low and that this food drive will help supply them through the fall.

“We’ve gone through the holiday food drives,” she said.

Last year, Foley residents donated 6,800 pounds of food to the drive. Elberta donated 300 pounds.

“It turns out to be a phenomenal community project,” said Meredith.

The food gathered supplies 40 percent of the seven-day packages handed out.

In 2007, the agency helped 491 families and handed out 29,295 meals, not including the Christmas season or surplus meals.

Meredith praised the postal workers for the support and work they put into the drive to make it a success. She said that many of them have to finish their route on their own time because they have to keep returning to the post office to unload the truck.

“We can’t say enough about the postal workers,” she said.

Food is also donated by local businesses like Sweetie Pies, Panera Bread and Krupinski Vegetable Barn on a regular basis.

The national drive had its first run in 1991, and in the past 15 years the drive has collected 836.2 million pounds of food.

To donate food, other than during the food drive, contact Ecumenical Ministries Inc. at 251-943-3445.