Postal food drive collects almost 5,000 items for local food pantry
Almost 5,000 pieces of non-perishable food were stacked into the American Red Cross Food Pantry, 215 E. Broadway St., May 15 for the National Association for Letter Carriers’ Food Drive.
NALC and the U.S. Postal Service have teamed up to collect food items for the past 18 years throughout Mount Pleasant, Isabella County and the U.S. Jeff Smith, delivery supervisor at Mount Pleasant’s USPS office, 813 N. Main St., said the drive began in California, and has reached more than one billion pounds of items collected nationwide.
“It’s good for the community,” Smith said. “Everything that is collected stays within the community.”
Food Pantry supervisor Irene Lopez-Casillas said a total of 4,961 food items were collected for this year’s drive.
Mount Pleasant resident Dan Brough was one of multiple letter carriers to deliver several boxes of items to the Food Pantry on Saturday.
“I know everybody is really appreciative of it,” Brough said. “Residents just leave the stuff by their mailboxes, and we pick it up.”
Lopez-Casillas and several volunteers organized the items dropped off by letter carriers Saturday morning.
Lisa Moody, 38, of Blanchard, volunteered to assist the pantry in organizing the items donated. Moody said she was there since 11 a.m. and expected a big turnout. “I think it’s great,” she said. “It’s definitely helping the community.”
Moody’s 17-year-old son Quentin, also of Blanchard, helped with the organizing.
“Now (he) knows why I’m always tired,” Lisa said, laughing.
Two other volunteers worked alongside the mother and son to sort the items for the region’s hungry despite Saturday’s gloomy weather.
“Even though our economy is bad, it’s great to see how many can give,” Lisa said.
