To help put a stomp on hunger, Atmore and area residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food in a bag at the mailbox for the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC’s) 26th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, which is this Sat., May 12.

According to the U.S. Post Office, nearly 49 million Americans — 1 in 7 — are unsure of the source of their next meal.

Last year, active and retired letter carriers, with help from thousands of volunteers as well as NALC’s national partners, collected 75 million pounds of food, bringing the 25-year grand total to almost 1.6 billion pounds, according to the USPS.

Residents are asked to leave a generous donation of non-perishable items at their mailbox for your letter carrier or rural letter carrier to pick up and deliver to a local food bank or pantry.

The top requested non-perishable food items are cereal, pasta, pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meals (such as soups, chili and pasta), 100 percent juice, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, canned protein (tuna, chicken and turkey) and beans (canned or dry). Those participating can also donate healthy, low-sodium, low-sugar items such as beans, oatmeal and other whole grains, and canola or olive oil.