Stamp Out Hunger

Mail carriers to bear extra load for charity
By Dan Herbeck NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 05/06/07 6:44 AM
It sure isn’t easy, but it’s worth every little ache and pain.
That pretty much sums up the attitude of local postal carriers toward their annual food drive, scheduled for Saturday.
In addition to normal mail deliveries, carriers in Western New York hope to pick up at least 2 million pounds of nonperishable food, which will be donated to the Food Bank of Western New York and food pantries throughout the region.
Postal customers are asked to leave donations out by their mailboxes that morning.
"It definitely makes for a long, hard day, but these are our neighborhoods," said Nicole Novosat, a Williamsville postal carrier who coordinates the drive in Western New York. "It sure feels good when you see the big tractor-trailers that we load up with food for the food bank every year. It’s a unique way for us to give something back to their community."
The National Association of Letter Carriers sponsors the annual nationwide drive, now in its 15th year. More than 70 million pounds of food was collected last year.
According to Novosat, carriers from Western New York have picked up more food than participants from any other region of the country over the past four years.
"We set a local record with 1.9 million pounds last year, and we’d love to go over 2 million this year," Novosat said. "People ask me all the time why our region gets so much food. I can only tell them people in this area have a tradition of helping others."
In addition to the Food Bank, 86 area food pantries receive donations from the carriers’ drive. Officials said macaroni- and-cheese, peanut butter and canned soup are among the most popular and needed items. Officials ask donors to steer away from items in glass containers, if possible.
Several individuals and organizations have volunteered to help postal carriers with food pickups and loading trucks. Novosat said anyone else interested in volunteering can call her at 913-4230.
email: dherbeck@buffnews.com