Since 1993, tens of thousands of pounds of food have been collected through the Annual Postal Food Drive in Holland
As a part of the National Association of Letter Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive, a national campaign each year, the post office will team up with their local community to gather food donations for shelters, food pantries, and other agencies which offer assistance to those in need on Saturday, May 21.
This function serves as the biggest event for organizations like Community Action House, Gateway Mission (formerly Holland Rescue Mission), Resilience: Advocates for Ending Violence, and Salvation Army to receive much-needed supplies for their food pantries.
“It’s a big help for Salvation Army and the other organizations who depend on food drives like these to help those we serve,” said Holland Salvation Army Social Services Director Melanie Weaver. “Around this time of year, other food pantry donations can be low, and this acts as a way to replenish our stock to keep serving those in need with a wide variety of food options.”
Volunteers and members of the community team up with the Salvation Army at Hope College to set up boxes, tables and tents around 9 a.m. as the “hub” for the drive. Along with volunteers, current Holland postal workers and retired postal workers will set out to secure the white bags left out for pickup from residents in the 49423 and 49424 zip codes.
“The post office has a large number of retired postal workers come back and help pick up food,” Weaver said. “Since they know the routes well, they fit right in and are a huge help in bringing all the donations back to the fieldhouse.”
Once the food has been collected and weighed, volunteers will sort and divide the food amongst the four recipient organizations. If you stop by Devos Fieldhouse around 10am, you will see staff and volunteers already beginning to sort the donated items. On average, the Postal Food Drive collects between 50,000-60,000 pounds of food from local residences and Heinz.
Community Action House Executive Director Scott Rumpsa has shared how meaningful it is to have the Postal Food Drive back in action after a COVID-driven hiatus. “This is such a critical effort every year, supplying tens of thousands of pounds of helpful food assistance as we head into the summer months. We all felt the loss when this huge community effort hit pause during COVID, and we’re celebrating that it’s back - we’re all rooting for this to be the biggest year yet!”
If you would like to donate and didn’t receive a bag in the mail, you can drop off donations beginning at 9 a.m. the Devos Fieldhouse on May 21. If you’d like to volunteer, contact Weaver at 616-392-4461. You can also make a financial contribution to help these organizations directly purchase food: [link to giving page]
About Community Action House
Community Action House is a locally-founded, locally-funded nonprofit with a mission to provide families and individuals with food, clothing, shelter and the opportunity to build necessary skills to achieve a stable and prosperous life. Founded in 1969, the 501(c)3 nonprofit serves the Ottawa and Allegan County community from a base in Holland, offering several programs, including their Food Club, Community Kitchen, Resource Navigation, Financial Wellness & Homeownership, and Homeless Outreach efforts. Learn more and get involved at www.communityactionhouse.org. Food Club is a 2021 expansion of Community Action House’s service offerings. More on the Food Club model can be found at www.hzfoodclub.org.
Media Contact:
Katy Russner-Travis | katyrt@communityactionhouse.org | (616) 392-2368 ext. 140 | Community Action House | 739 Paw Paw Drive, Holland ,MI 49423
