Post office organizes food bank collection
Staff writer
The Marion post office will be participating in the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive for the first time — and they want help.
“The letter carriers can’t do it all themselves,” postmaster Lori E. Kelsey said. “After all, they walk everywhere. We’re hoping some volunteers step up and help us out. If we have just six or 10, we could cover a lot of ground.”
Kelsey said she organized the El Dorado post office’s food drive last year. They had so much food that they had to load it in three or four cars. She said it’s an awesome project, and a lot of fun to do.
“It’s great to support the local food banks,” she said. “All the food will be going to the Marion County Food Bank.”
While the National Association of Letter Carriers conduct a food drive each year, Kelsey said it was resident Gene Winkler who brought the project to the staff’s attention — and now plans are in full-swing.
Project-specific blue plastic bags from NetApp were placed in residential mailboxes last week. The hope, Kelsey said, is that residents will fill the bag with non-perishable food items and leave it at their mailbox for collection May 11.
While she said all food is appreciated, the most needed food items include: meals in a can (soup, chili, or stew), tuna or other canned meat, peanut butter, and cereal.
Kelsey encourages everyone interested in participating to put the bags out early enough, so that no bag will be missed during collection.
Volunteers will start collecting the bags at 9 a.m. Saturday, and will bring them to the area food bank as soon as they are done with the gathering process. If someone misses the collection time, Kelsey said that all they have to do is call the post office and they’ll send someone to pick it up. She said it will all get to the food bank, just perhaps not at the same time.
Nevertheless, Kelsey said, in order for the one-day food drive to be successful, she really needs more community members to volunteer to pick up and drop off the non-perishable items at the food bank.
“I’d love to talk to anyone who wants to help,” the postmaster said. “It’s going to be a great day.”
For more information or to volunteer, call (620) 382-2363 during regular business hours.