"A way way to give back:" USPS collects food from community to Stamp Out Hunger

MILWAUKEE -- United States Postal Service (USPS) workers across the Milwaukee area were not only delivering the mail Saturday, May 13th but also picking up donated groceries. It's part of the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

"This is a great way for me to give back indirectly," said Ashley Webb, USPS mail carrier. "I don't think people really understand that they actually made somebody's day better."

"The food that you're giving today stays right here in Milwaukee. It gets delivered free of charge and it all starts with you making that donation to your favorite letter carrier," said Hunger Task Force Executive Director Sherrie Tussler.

Stamp Out Hunger is a joint campaign between Hunger Task Force and the U.S. Postal Service. Local mail carriers collect donated items of food on their mail route and then later drop it off at the Hunger Task Force.

There are two ways people are making their donations: either putting them in a bag and hanging them from their mailbox, or they're delivering them to the curb. They hand them off to their mail carrier and they're on their way.

"This particular food drive is going to bring in a tenth of the total food that we supply in the course of a year," Tussler said.

Many Milwaukee residents live in portions of the city classified as a food dessert, meaning they don't have convenient access to fresh and healthy food.

Along the mail route, Webb says she meets people in her line of work who benefit from the program. She says their appreciation is immeasurable.

"Being able to see somebody else possibly have that food every day makes me happy," Webb said.

If you forgot to leave a bag of food out in your mail, you can still make donations to the Hunger Task Force and they'll make sure it goes to a family in need.