Community Chat

[missy1]

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@chickenbutt wrote:

I think it's sad that there seems to be breakdowns in the way this is handled from one location to another.

Last time I tried this the food sat out in the hot sun (this time of year, that part of my house gets full sun all afternoon!) for the whole day and was not picked up.   I was not happy about that.  

I purchased lots of nice things to donate because I don't believe trying to help somebody means just giving them all my old food.    So I felt like I had 'helped' but as it turned out I didn't help anybody.

That was a number of years ago so I don't remember what I did from that point but, IIRC, my husband took the bags of food somewhere for me, to donate.

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Good point. IMO it's too hot here to sit out food, especially can goods.

[momtochloe]

I always participated and four times out of five they never picked up my bags (I was the only one that put anything out so maybe they missed me).  I used to run them over to a store that routinely collected goods but they are gone now so this year I did not participate (and I did not see any bags on people's porches either).  Makes me sad as I think it is a great idea.

[RedTop]

Our carrier took our donation last week.   She had to bring mail to our door, and my husband started telling her that if it was raining today, he would raise the garage door and have our food donation sitting just inside the door.   The carrier said the post office already had their collection boxes sitting out and ready, so she would be glad to take our donation that day, so she did.  

This area of southern WV is extremely economically depressed, and there are thousands of people struggling to feed families.   In my local area, there are 4 food banks----pushed to their limits every month with requests for food.   Earlier this week, local news did a live report from the Salvation Army food storage room, and their shelves were bare.   They are desperately in need of whatever food they receive from today's post office drive.   

I do believe hunger in America goes deeper than we can even imagine.  My family focuses our financial support to local food banks, local veterans, local no kill animal shelters, and preserving our family cemeteries.    We do our best to make a difference.   

[AnikaBrodie]

Here is the ad for the food drive.  Our food donation was picked up before 9:00 this morning.    We consider it a random act of kindness.  People helping people.

[Catty2]

I think it's great that they do this and went to the store yesterday to specifically buy things for the drive.  Hope it will help out many people. 

[Ms X]

Is this today?  The post office has sent zero notification of such.  A tremendous amount of $$$ is spent by the federal government for food assistance. 

[151949]

in the past they had ads on TV and stuff but this year - nothing.

[Ms X]

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@151949 wrote:

in the past they had ads on TV and stuff but this year - nothing.

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I also got a postcard in my mailbox about it in some past years.  I wonder why they didn't do this.  Maybe carrying all those cans isn't possible this year.  I have no idea.

[scotnovel]

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@10grands wrote:

I don't think anyone was tooting their own horn, but gently reminding everyone to put their donations out.   I am shocked by how few do this.

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"Shocked"??? I used to donate directly to a food bank and also provided home cooked food, once a quarter, to a local homeless shelter.  I say this not to toot my own horn but to acknowledge that we aren't all going to donate to the exact same cause all of the time.  For all you know,  a high percentage of those who don't donate through the USPS drive are doing something else equally as important and maybe even more than once or twice a year. 

[AuntG]

A plastic grocery bag was left in my mailbox on Thursday. If they had given a little more advance notice, I'd have purchased more items.  As it was, I just gave some canned foods out of the pantry.