The local Stamp Out Hunger food drive totals have been tallied from the May 11 event and Chattanooga Area Food Bank and the National Association of Letter Carriers collected a total of 86,663 pounds of food this year. The total is double the amount of food received in 2012. In addition to the food collected, $6,570 in cash donations were made to the food bank through the drive, which will allow the food bank to use its tremendous buying power to secure even more food to last through the summer months when donations usually decline.
The increased donations were due to several factors, including increased outreach through the National Letter Carriers Association and local marketing support provided to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank by Area203 Digital.
“The success of the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is another example of the power of partnerships and what can be achieved when everyone plays their role in the fight against hunger,” said Maeghan Jones, Chattanooga Area Food Bank president. “We thank the community for making their donations to the drive and we thank our partners at the local post offices and Area203 for helping us spread the word about the need of our hungry neighbors”.
In addition to donation support, nearly 100 volunteers gave their time to help sort the dozens of postal trucks loaded with donated food. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank thanks them and all those involved in this year’s drive to collect much needed food.
For more information about the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, visit www.chattfoodbank.org or call 423 622-1800. Donations of non-perishable and fresh food are accepted all year long, Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 2009 Curtain Pole Road main office in Chattanooga, as well as the 1111 South Hamilton St. Northwest Georgia Branch location in Dalton.