Stamp Out Hunger Delivered Hope This Summer

On the second Saturday of May, mail carriers nationwide begin their days like any other Saturday. When the sun rises, they start their trucks to prepare for a long day of delivering bills, magazines and birthday cards to people’s mailboxes. But what makes this day different from any other is that they delivered more than mail; they delivered hope to thousands facing food insecurity this summer.

For 33 years, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the United States Postal Service (USPS) have hosted Stamp Out Hunger, the country’s largest single-day food drive. This initiative invites everyone to leave a bag filled with nonperishable food items, such as canned goods, cereal and peanut butter, by their mailboxes. Mail carriers collect these donations from people’s mailboxes and deliver the food to participating food banks. Since its inaugural food drive, NALC has collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food to help food banks across the country feed their local communities during the summer months.

On Saturday, May 10, as Arizona braced for its first weekend of triple-digit heat in 2025, local mail carriers didn’t let the heat get in the way of collecting food and making a difference. United Food Bank is proud to again serve as one of the recipients of these generous donations. Together, Stamp Out Hunger brought in 55,114 pounds of food for United Food Bank!

This food drive comes at a critical time when the cost of living and food prices continue to rise. As a result, food banks nationwide have seen a surge in demand for their services—United Food Bank is no exception. In March alone, United Food Bank served around 123,000 individuals across our service area. Now that the summer months are approaching, donations typically decline as the need continues to grow. 

“Summer is just a busy time with kids are out of school and go on vacation. People always think of donating during the holidays but not so much during the summer,” explained Maddie Mittelstaedt, the Food Drive Coordinator at United Food Bank. 

Food drives like Stamp Out Hunger play a vital role in filling the gap and helping United Food Bank and other food banks restock their shelves during this seasonal slowdown. 

“Stamp Out Hunger helps us restock our shelves during the summer when food banks all over the country run low on donations and often see an increase in need. It’s the largest single-day food drive all year at United Food Bank, and all of the donations help us add some variety to the food we provide to our neighbors,” said Mittelstaedt.  

While Stamp Out Hunger only occurs once a year, however, you can still find ways to help make a difference! Visit our website to host a food drive with your school, company, or neighborhood. If you have any questions, email Maddie Mittelstaedt at mmittelstaedt@unitedfoodbank.org.