Another Successful Postal Food Drive

To the Editor:

Did you put a bag of food by your mailbox on Saturday morning? If you did, please accept our gratitude for supporting the Annual Postal Food Drive. The Salvation Army Food Pantry located in the Newtown Social Services Department is the recipient of this food. All food collected in Newtown stays in Newtown, and due to economic conditions, the demand has grown. Please put a reminder on your calendar for 2010 to put out a bag of food early the day before Mother’s Day in 2010.

We had close to 100 volunteers this year, and each one was invaluable. Volunteer drivers follow rural postal routes in the morning and bring the food they collect to Social Services to be unloaded, sorted, and shelved. Throughout the day postal carriers also drop off the food that they pick up along their routes. We threw out less expired food this year, but did find a can marked 1992! The work is tiring and strenuous, and we were thankful to have many more high school students appear this year to help with the heavy lifting. Our volunteers ranged in age from high school to senior citizens, and we appreciate each and every one of them. Many of the same families and individuals return year after year, and our sorting system improves with age. There is not room to thank everyone, but our volunteer coordinators must be recognized. They are Sarah Beier, Steve Odams, Phyllis Zimmer, Lin Hertberg, and Kitty Latowicki.

If you volunteered for an hour or stayed all day, we thank you for your help and support on this very important day. It is a pleasure to work with the Newtown Post Office to plan this event. We thank Rich, Dave, and the other workers there who helped out.

As always, My Place and Carminuccio’s contributed pizzas to feed our hungry volunteers. There is nothing like a slice or two to refuel the workers. The Newtown Bee ran articles and published letters for us to remind residents to donate food and to volunteer. Our work is made easier because Big Y allows us to borrow a dozen shopping carts to more easily move our food.

If you missed the food drive, please drop your donation at the Social Services office in the basement level of Town Hall South. We accept donations throughout the year to help feed the hungry in our town.

Thanks again to everyone who helped,

Ann Piccini

Joanne Klopfenstein

Newtown Social Services

3 Main Street, Newtown                                                   May 12, 2009