Letter Carriers’ Food Drive Helps Stamp Out Hunger

The National Association of Letter Carriers held its annual food drive last Saturday, collecting more than 12,000 pounds of donations to benefit the Salvation Army food pantry in Newtown.

“The town truck was filled. We had to use a pickup truck for the rest,” a jubilent Robert Frangione, event coordinator, said. “It was a great drive this year with so many volunteers helping.”

Many adults, including a number of volunteers from Christ the King Lutheran Church, were among the volunteers who drove the postal routes, helping the letter carriers collect the food, paper goods, diapers, and other donations. The donations were transported to the post office on Commerce Road where volunteers, including members of Boy Scout Troop 70 and Project Aspire at the Middle School, sorted and packed them.

 Local businesses contributed too, including Dunkin Donuts and My Place, Pizza Palace, and the Italian Pavilion, which took turns sending pizzas. Beverages were supplied by the Salvation Army and the Postal Service.

“Every year as the town gets bigger, more food is donated,” observed Ed Rees, one of the volunteers who has worked at the food drive each year.

Mr Frangione and Ann Piccini of the town’s social services department, have coordinated the Help Stamp Out Hunger drive in Newtown since it began as a joint project of the National Association of Letter Carriers and the US Postal Service nine years ago.

This year all the donations will benefit the Salvation Army food pantry, operated by the town’s social services department in Town Hall South. A food drive at St Rose Church recently stocked the FAITH food pantry in Sandy Hook.