By Davy James, Staff Writer
The Kendall Park office of the United States Postal Service is gearing up for its annual rite of spring to help the less fortunate in the community.
The 18th annual Mother’s Day Food Drive is scheduled for May 8, during which residents can leave nonperishable food donations by their mailboxes to be collected by letter carriers and donated to the South Brunswick Food Pantry.
”We want to support the community we serve, and that’s the main focus of the drive,” said post office supervisor Cindy Weiss. “We know there are people in need because we see there are needs throughout the community.”
Since its inception, the Postal Service’s annual food drive is closing in on one billion pounds of food donated nationwide over the last 18 years. Ms. Weiss said she’s unsure of how many pounds of food has been raised in South Brunswick, but said the program has had a big impact on the community.
”There has been customers who come out with a bag of food, and they tell us they know we’re working hard carrying the mail, and when they see us make the extra effort to carry back this food, it means a lot,” Ms. Weiss said. “They see that we’re more than just the people who bring them their bills, but that we’re trying to do a lot more.”
Ms. Weiss, a former letter carrier before being promoted to supervisor, said this is the first year she won’t be participating in the pickup of the food.
”I’m sad to not be collecting this year because I feel like I’m not contributing to the drive,” she said. “When you come back with the donated food, you just can’t believe the amount of support from the community and the people. I used to have people say they forgot the food drive collection was today, and they would ask me to come back because they want to help.”
Ms. Weiss said there is no specific goal for the drive, but she hopes the community can help make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. Residents soon will be receiving a card from the post office reminding them of the collection date.
Residents can leave nonperishable food items by their mailboxes May 8. It is asked residents try to refrain from donating items packaged in glass because of the possibility of them breaking.
”People want to help, and if we can be the extra step that encourages them to donate, then that’s great,” Ms. Weiss said. “There are more people in need than there has been in recent years, and when people need more, they usually give less, but this is another great opportunity to help out the community.”
To donate to the South Brunswick Food Pantry, call 732-329-4000, ext. 7674.
