The Stamp Out Hunger annual food drive is more important than ever. According to Jill Whittington, Executive Director for Harvest Texarkana, 20 percent of the population in our area struggles to feed themselves (compared to 15 percent nationally).

If you would like to help this great cause, you're encouraged to place canned goods and other non-perishable food items in a bag besides your mailbox on Saturday. Your mail carrier will pick up the bag and deliver the food to the local food pantry. Please do not leave items which have expired or are in glass containers.

All of the items gathered will be split between the United Way associated hunger relief agencies in Texarkana, including Harvest Texarkana, Domestic Violence Prevention Shelter, Friendship Center, Randy Sams Outreach Center and the Salvation Army.

The latest "Map the Meal Gap" study has recently been released and it shows that 20 percent of our residents have hunger. In 2010, the number of 'food insecure' in our region increased by 3,000 people, which was a 6 percent increase from the year before. No citizen in the Ark-La-Tex should go hungry and we encourage everyone to chip in and help fill our area's food pantries.

 

Stamp Out Hunger is a nationwide food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

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