Life

Letter carriers' food drive up 50%

Ruth Birge, executive director of the United Way, joined volunteers in successful food drive.

By Bill Moss, Published: May 13, 2012

Henderson County residents made the 20th annual "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive a smashing success on Saturday, donating more than 55,000 pounds of food, a 50 percent increase over last year's total.

Working in conjunction with the letter carriers, volunteers from three area agencies – Interfaith Assistance Ministries, The Salvation Army, and United Way of Henderson County –helped sort and pack the donated food items for delivery to MANNA FoodBank, which will allocate the food to area agencies.

"Our thanks go out to the folks of Henderson County for their generous donations and to the volunteers for all their help," said Gerald Brown, Hendersonville letter carrier and vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. "The letter carriers look forward to this event each year to help the local community."

The National Association of Letter Carriers' food drive is held each year on the second Saturday in May. Last year's efforts garnered 70.2 million pounds collected nationwide, with approximately 36,000 pounds collected in Henderson County.

According to statistics gathered by Feeding America, one in six Americans doesn't have access to enough food to sustain a healthy life, and the USDA reports that limited resources prevent over 49 million people in the United States from getting adequate food. The donations made through the NALC Food Drive will directly help to alleviate hunger in Henderson County.

"Hunger in our community continues to make news," said Ruth Birge, executive director of United Way of Henderson County. "Henderson County's rate stands at 15.1 percent. That's more than 16,000 of our residents who struggle with hunger."

United Way is advancing the common good by creating opportunities for a better life in Henderson County. If you would like more information or have questions or comments about United Way, or would like to make a donation, contact the United Way of Henderson County at PO Box 487, Hendersonville, NC 28793, call 828-692-1636, or go to www.liveunitedhc.org.