By Trent Moore

trentm@cullmantimes.com

Cullman postal workers will participate in the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) food drive Saturday, which is the largest food drive in America. But, food drive coordinator Dale Black wants everyone to know that though it is a national event, local needs are still at the forefront.

“The food donated in the county goes to the local food banks,” he said. “It will go to both the United Way here and the St. Vincent De Paul food bank.”

Over six tons of canned goods were collected last year in Cullman County alone.

Black said it could not be easier for people to participate in the drive.

“All you have to do is leave some canned food, or something like a box of macaroni and cheese, out at your mailbox,” he said. “And the mail carriers will take care of the rest.”

The local letter carriers are doing everything they can to get the word out to the community, Black said.

“We’ve been sending a lot of reminder cards out,” he said. “We’re just strewing them all over the place.”

The unsung heroes of the annual food drive are the rural letter carriers, said Black.

“They don’t get the recognition they deserve,” he said. “They probably bring in more than anyone.”

Javon Daniel, director of the United Way’s Cullman Caring For Kids food bank, said he is looking forward to the assistance.

“We really appreciate the efforts of everyone involved, from the postal service to the people that donate,” Daniel said. “I’m always excited for this.”

Cullman Caring For Kids received close to four pick-up trucks full of food from the NALC Food Drive last year.

Black said quite a bit of thought went into choosing the date to hold the food drive.

“The food banks tend to get low this time of year,” he said. “So that’s why we do this at the start of summer.”

According to a press release, an estimated 35 million people are at risk of hunger in America, including 12 million children. The NALC Food Drive has collected close to a billion pounds of food since its start in 1993 to try to change this fact.

The NALC Food Drive is sponsored by the United States Postal Service, the Campbell Soup Company and Second Harvest.