Published: May 10, 2008 10:53 pm         

Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger drive nets more than 50K pounds of food

Catholic Charities director praises Valley response

TERRE HAUTE — They came. They saw. They’re still delivering.

Saturday evening, volunteers at Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank were still hauling in donations from that day’s National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Plastic bags donated by Bemis were distributed by the U.S. Postal Service’s letter carriers last week, and according to John C. Etling, director of Catholic Charities of Terre Haute, the community responded in force.

“I’m guessing we’re going to end up around 40,000 to 50,000 pounds,” Etling said about 6 p.m. Saturday, noting that donations collected in the surrounding counties such as Clay and Parke won’t be counted until today.

“It’ll probably be a number that’s going to move every day next week,” he said, noting that by 6 p.m. the group had 25,000 pounds and more still coming.

“I have two trucks back at the food bank that haven’t been unloaded yet,” he said, adding that individual boxes contained within the truck weigh anywhere between 600 and 1,000 pounds each.

“I’d say it’s a successful food drive. Very successful,” he said, pleased with the “community’s efforts and willingness to help out people they don’t even know.”

The annual, one-day drive is conducted nationwide in more than 10,000 cities and towns with 230,000 letter carriers participating. Since 1993, the effort has netted more than 830 million pounds of food to be distributed through America’s Second Harvest participants such as Catholic Charities.

Each year, letter carriers distribute bags for food to be placed in and then pick up the bags while delivering the next day’s mail.

Etling, handling boxes of food outside Ryves Hall at 1356 Locust St., said the local Catholic Charities distributes to roughly 80 food pantries, 20 soup kitchens and 20 preschools and daycares.

“The total population area served is about 250,000,” he said.

Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank serves Vigo, Vermillion, Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Knox and Greene counties.

And the need is there, he said.

“All the indicators are increasing,” he said with regard to hunger and its drivers, such as rising fuel and food costs.

“There’s still a lot of lack of awareness of where to go for help and how to get it,” he said.

“We really want to highlight the effort Bemis made in getting the bags out through the letter carriers,” he added, noting that Bemis printed and provided the 50,000 plastic bags at no charge. Without that and the donated labor of the letter carriers, the drive would be nonexistent.

“Who else goes to every house in the community on a daily basis?” he said of the letter carriers.



Brian Boyce can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.