FARM SHARE PREPARES TO “STAMP OUT HUNGER”

Farm Share Joins the NALC in the Nation’s Largest Single Day Food Drive

HOMESTEAD, FL., May 4th, 2018 – Farm Share, a non-profit whose aim is that no one will go hungry and food will not go to waste, is asking Florida’s support on Saturday, May 12th to join the nation’s largest domestic hunger – relief operation – the National Association of Letter Carriers annual campaign, STAMP OUT HUNGER food drive.

Hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers, STAMP OUT HUNGER is the largest single-day food drive in the country and benefits the one in six Floridians who are food insecure, reside in food deserts and the millions of Floridians who live in hunger.  STAMP OUT HUNGER donations are 100% tax deductible and helps support local food banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and those non-profit organizations throughout Florida who are feeding the hungry.

To support this effort, Farm Share, the lead agency coordinating efforts in all 67 counties, held a kick-off at its Homestead facility with Mistress of Ceremony, Mayte Padron Cordones, Director of WPLG’s Community Relations Department, who welcomed guests to the 26thAnnual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, noting hunger is non-discriminatory with millions of Floridians going to bed hungry and others who face tough choices with loss of employment or a senior faced with medical expenses.

Stephan Walker, Treasurer of Branch 1071 of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) & Coordinator of South Florida’s Food Drive, stated “The 26th anniversary of the food drive is fast approaching. This year’s food drive is the time when letter carriers and the communities we service lend a hand to assist those of us who are less fortunate.” With the last year being hard hit from hurricanes, fires, floods and other natural disasters, many Florida families are looking for some relief and thanks to Stamp Out Hunger, relief is on its way.

Additional members of the United States Postal Service and the NALC to include: Rick Suarez, Post Master – Miami; Timothy Costella – District Manager, South Florida Postal Service and Ilia Gonzalez – Post Mistress (Homestead) stood united in the observance of the upcoming drive. Last year South Florida Letter Carriers collected over 500,000 pounds of food with nearly two million pounds of food having been collected in the 25 years of the drive. Nationally, this drive has collected over 1.5 billion pounds of food.

Stephen R. Shelley, Farm Share’s Chief Operating Officer, stated, “Farm Share would like to thank the National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service for letting us be a partner in this historic one day food drive that will help us feed millions of Floridians.  The non-perishable food products that are collected on May 12th will be combined with Farm Share’s healthy, fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables to provide well rounded meals to families, children, seniors and individuals in need from Key West to Pensacola.  Without the letters carriers unwavering dedication to Stamp Out Hunger, millions of people would go hungry not only in Florida but nationwide.” 

 Through Stamp Out Hunger, Floridians are asked to collect non-perishable food items and place them in a box or bag left in their mailboxes on Saturday, May 12th. A letter carrier will pick-up all items left in the designated bags and deliver them to local food banks, food pantries, and designated Farm Share “collection sites”. Items will then be weighed and distributed to individuals and families facing hunger in the communities where the items were collected.

Farm Share, established in 1991, alleviates hunger and fights poverty by recovering and distributing healthy and nutritious fruits, vegetables, proteins and other non-perishable food to Florida families, children, seniors and individuals in need. Based in Homestead, FL with operations in Florida City, Pompano Beach, Quincy and Jacksonville, “The Stamp Out Hunger food drive will provide residents with an easy way to make an impact in the neighborhoods where they live, worship, work and play,” stated Stephen R. Shelley, COO of Farm Share.

As hunger increases, a reported 14.7% of Floridians and 20.7% of its children currently live below the poverty line. Florida ranks 20th inidentification of food insecure households in 2017, noting those in need experienced difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of money or other resources at least once during the calendar year.

To learn more about Farm Share, visit www.farmshare.org or dial its headquarters at 305.246.3276.