Media Contact:
Les Sinclair
lsinclair@brafb.org
434-962-5403

Communities across the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s service area donated enough food this year to propel the lifetime total of the drive past 2.5 million pounds.

VERONA, Va. (May 23, 2024) – This year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, benefiting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, helped propel the drive’s lifetime total collection to more than 2.5 million pounds of food. This year, 91,041 pounds of food and $50 were raised—providing enough for approximately 76,068 meals to those experiencing hunger in our community.

The Stamp Out Hunger campaign, a tremendous effort hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers, is the nation’s largest one-day food drive. It is significant because it brings together communities to help alleviate hunger in a single, powerful day.

This year’s event took place on Saturday, May 11. Neighbors across the Food Bank’s 25-county service area left donated food items at their mailboxes, which were then picked up by letter carriers throughout the day. The Food Bank welcomed volunteers at local Post Offices across the region to help sort food items and drop off donations to the organization’s four branches (Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Verona, Winchester).

The total pounds from each region are as follows:

The total pounds from participating Post Office locations are below:

• Charlottesville: 6,932 pounds
• Lynchburg: 24,642 pounds
• Harrisonburg: 10,784 pounds
• Other post offices: 6,875 pounds
• Staunton: 15,140 pounds
• Waynesboro: 3,814 pounds
• Winchester: 22,854 pounds

“These donations for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive come at a crucial time to help keep pantries stocked. During the summer months, children and families can count on the Food Bank and its partner pantries to have a fresh supply of food,” said Michael McKee, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. “The community spirit, generosity, and coordination behind Stamp Out Hunger is astonishing and heartwarming. Thank you to the letter carriers, volunteers, and everyone who donated food for all you did to ensure another successful event.”

During the summer months, the Food Bank typically sees a decline in community food donations and an increase in demand, especially with children home during the school summer break. Stamp Out Hunger helps restock our shelves and food supplies ahead of the season, helping put the Food Bank and its pantry network in a better position to support individuals and families experiencing hunger.

To learn more about how you can support the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, visit https://www.brafb.org/.

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Verona, Virginia, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization alleviating hunger in western and central Virginia. The Food Bank receives an average of 127,500 guest visits per month, serving 25 counties and eight cities through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester, and Verona. We’re serving record numbers of Virginians through our network of more than 400 community partners, which includes food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, libraries, healthcare clinics, community centers, and more.

We pledge to continue innovating and adapting to secure, store, and distribute more food to more individuals, families, children, and seniors experiencing hunger. The Food Bank is a partner food bank of Feeding America®, a national association with a network of more than 200 food banks, 21statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries, and meal programs. Last year, this charitable food assistance network helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people facing food insecurity. For more information, visit www.brafb.org.

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