KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Instead of just delivering the mail Saturday morning, letter carriers all across the Heartland and the nation collected non-perishable food items and monetary donations for those in need.
The event was apart of the 20th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers' Food Drive. Once the letter carriers picked up the food, they delivered it to their local post offices, such as the Kirksville Post Office, where volunteers weighed and sorted the food and monetary donations.
In Kirksville, the food donations were then dropped off at local food pantries, including the Salvation Army and the Christian Community Food Depot, where they will be given to people in need living in the community.
One volunteer, whose host mother invited her to help out, said she had no idea that so many people go hungry in Northeast Missouri.
"I didn't realize there are so many people who are..they don't have enough money to get enough food before today," said Ruby Ou, a native of China who recently graduated from Truman State University. "So it's also helped me to learn that I really should cherish what we own. It's a good lesson for me as well."
16 letter carriers collected food donations Saturday morning in the Kirksville area.
Mike DeSantis with the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri said 5,973 lbs. of food was collected in 2012, compared to 5,075 lb. of food collected in 2011. In terms of monetary donations, DeSantis said $798 was collected in 2012 during the food drive compared to $1,033 collected in 2011.
If you missed out and would still like to donate, you can drop your donations off at the Kirksville Post Office.
Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri
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