The 23rd Annual Letter Carriers Food Drive will be held on Saturday, May 9. The drive is a major supplier of food to the Newtown Salvation Army Food Pantry that is located in the office of Newtown Social Services.

Organizers say there are several ways the public, ages 12 and up, can help that day.

First, leave a bag of nonperishable food items in a sturdy bag by your mailbox as early as possible Saturday morning and remind your neighbors to do the same.

Suggested items include canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice, and cereal. Check the cans and boxes to be sure that they are unopened and not expired.

A second way to help is to volunteer to drive a designated route to pick up the bags that have been left by the mailboxes.  Pick-up begins around 10 am and takes two hours or less.  It works best as a two-person job with a driver and a passenger to grab the bags.  Drive organizers will find a helper for you if necessary.

Sorting food is the third way to help.  After the food is delivered to the Social Services office at Town Hall South (3 Main Street, lower level), volunteers are needed to unload the cars and sort the food.  Volunteers of all ages are welcome to work from just one hour to all day.

Volunteers will be provided with pizza, snacks and cold drinks throughout the day. Anyone interested in volunteering, or for additional information, call Social Services at 203-270-4330.

The annual event in Newtown is part of the country-wide event presented by The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). It is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, and is done annually on the second Sunday in May. According to NALC, 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam will all be hosting postal food drives.

On May 9 as they deliver mail, the nation’s 175,000 letter carriers will also collect donations left by residents nears their mailboxes.