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Restocking local food pantry shelves

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National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger

National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 219 member Chevonne Martin unloads donated food from her vehicle at the downtown Aurora Post Office. The food was collected along her route as part of Stamp Out Hunger’s annual event. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Jennifer Rice Managing Editor

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Email Jennifer Rice at: jen@foxvalley
labornews.com

You can view the video of Aurora’s NALC Branch 219 Stamp Out Hunger event by going to the Fox Valley Labor News YouTube channel

AURORA — The unusual cold temperatures Saturday, May 14 didn’t deter the public, or letter carriers, from having a very successful Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

Now in its 24th year, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) food drive is the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Locally, food collected by NALC Branch 219 members help to fill food pantries that serve clients in Aurora, Yorkville, Montgomery and Plano.

As in years past, several area schools held their own food drives for the Stamp Out Hunger event, encouraging students to be mindful of those in need. Schools included: Bardwell, Gombert, Johnson, Hall, Hill, Rosery, Smith and Todd. This was Gombert’s first year participating in the food drive.

National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger

Members of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Local 219 in Aurora and volunteers, left, organize donated food May 14 as part of NALC’s 24th annual Stamp Out Hunger event. Food is organized into separate containers for canned goods, dry food and glass items. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

“The students were so into it,” said NALC Branch 219 Trustee Mary Kluber. “Their enthusiasm was all because of the letter carriers who pick up mail at the school. They got the kids excited.”

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Students helped collect more than 5,000 pounds of food. Overall, Kluber said letter carriers from Branch 219 collected more than 50,000 pounds of food.
Food will be distributed to the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantries, Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, Hesed House, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Kendall County Food Pantry and Two Rivers Head Start.

Due to cuts to social services in Illinois’ state budget, Marie Wilkinson Food Panty Director Diane Renner is seeing an increase in clients she serves. “This food is much needed because we have seen a jump in clients that we haven’t seen before,” she explained.