This Saturday, the nation’s letter carriers will not only be delivering the mail, they’ll also be delivering thousands of tons of food to needy families.

The “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive is sponsored every year by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), and it is the large single-day food drive in the United States. In the Atmore area, all food collected will go to benefit the food bank at the Atmore Area Christian Care Ministry.

Tracy Sullivan, local representative for the NALC, said that many citizens will be receiving information cards and plastic bag in the mail sometime this week. Those who receive the bags are asked to fill them with non-perishable food items, including canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal.

They can then leave those bags either inside or near their mailboxes, and their letter carriers will pick them up during Saturday’s regular mail delivery.

Sullivan said that citizens can still participate, even if they don’t receive an “official” bag in the mail.

“If you don’t happen to get a bag in the mail, that’s OK,” she said. “You can use any plastic bag that you wish, and as long as it’s left by the mailbox, it’ll get picked up.”

Sullivan said that Atmore citizens usually donate about 6,000 pounds of food.

“I hope everyone can participate,” she said. “All of our food stays local and goes to help local people.”

Sullivan thanked Pepsi for contributing the banners for the food drive.

This is the 23rd year for the food drive, and more than 175,000 letter carriers are expected to participate, nationwide. Since the start of the NALC drive, more than 1.3 billion pounds of food have been collected.

“Letter carriers are honored to be able to help people in need,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “On a daily basis we see the needs in the communities we serve, and we believe it’s important to help meet those needs.”

For more information about the food drive, visit online at www.nalc.org.