Franklin Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger on May 11 - Franklin Food Pantry Asks for Specific Items and No Expired Food

The Franklin Food Pantry is asking the community for some very specific items in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. On Saturday, May 11, Franklin letter carriers will pick up donated goods from town residents at their mailboxes and deliver them to the Franklin Food Pantry.

The Pantry is asking for residents to please consider donating the items most needed:
• Canned vegetables (potatoes, yams, carrots)
• Soups (chowder, cream of (any kind) soup)
• Canned pasta (spaghetti, ravioli, etc.)
• Beef stew
• Chili
• Tomato products
• Pasta sauce
• Pasta and rice side dishes
• White, red and baked beans
• White Tuna
• Baking items (brownie and cake mixes, flour, sugar, etc.)
• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Personal care items (toothpaste/toothbrushes, shampoo/conditioner, body wash/soap, deodorant, body lotion, feminine hygiene products and hand soap)

The Pantry does not need chicken soup, garbanzo beans/chick peas, black beans, green beans and boxed macaroni and cheese since it is overstocked with these items.

Stamp Out Hunger is a great opportunity
for high schoolers to earn community service hours

“We have very limited building space to store a surplus of items,” said Amy Cataldo, interim executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “We are asking the community for these very specific items, as well as no expired food. We are so grateful for all the donations we receive, but unfortunately, we have space constraints.”

The Pantry receives thousands of pounds of food donations monthly. Every item is checked for expiration dates by volunteers. The expired food must be disposed of, which costs the Pantry time and money.

According to Cataldo, “We are asking the community to please check expiration dates on their donations so that we can prevent excess waste and avoid volunteer burnout. This would be such a huge help to us, and much appreciated by our hard-working volunteers.”

In last year’s drive, volunteers helped
unload 8,000 pounds of donations 

Volunteers are still needed for the event. If anyone is interested, they can sign up online at www.franklinfoodpantry.org.

Franklin residents can donate to the food drive by leaving a bag of non-perishable food where their letter carrier normally delivers their mail on Saturday, May 11. Some residents may receive the yellow Stamp Out Hunger grocery bags to use, but any paper or plastic bag can be used. Letter carriers will pick up the bags during their normal mail rounds and will deliver the food to the Franklin Food Pantry.

“We are so thankful to the letter carriers, and a supportive community, for helping us acquire the items that are most needed,” said Cataldo. “We have more than 1,100 individuals who count on us for food on a regular basis. We could not provide for them without the support of such a generous community.”

Cataldo said that in lieu of donating goods, individuals who want to support the Pantry can donate online at www.franklinfoodpantry.org. Monetary donations allow the Pantry to purchase fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products to supplement the canned and boxed food donations.

For more information on the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nationwide effort organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that provides food to local food banks and pantries.