Stamp Out Hunger

49.1 million: The number of Americans living in food-insecure homes (in 2008).

Things are definitely slowing down around here, mostly because the end of tax season is finally in sight. We haven't had many more calls from people who want their taxes done, and I am officially DONE with tax trainings! It brings us all an odd sense of relief, having tax season out of the way. I definitely feel like we accomplished something over the past three months.

But even though tax season is almost over, I'm still going to be busy around here. I'm about to get started on the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, the nation's largest single day food drive. It is done through a collaboration of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the Campbell Soup Company, the U.S. Postal Service, Feeding America, Valpak, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, the AFL--CIO and United Way Worldwide.

On the second Saturday in May, people across the country will hopefully assist the hungry by placing canned goods and other non-perishables in or around their mailboxes. The mailmen collect the food in a single day, and it all goes to local foodbanks and pantries.

My job in this is going to mostly focus on recruiting volunteers to help us get all these boxes of food out of the trucks. We're going to need some serious muscles to get this going. I also want to help get the word out, so I plan on designing flyers and handing them out to various apartment complexes and local businesses.

I'm excited to get this thing started. It's nice to have a new project to focus on!