The 26th annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive takes is Saturday, May 12, and local postal employees are asking customers to donate non-perishable food items in support.

“The need for food donations is great,” according to a statement postal employee Theresa Muniz emailed to The Western News. “These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in Libby who need our help.”

“Our food drive’s timing is crucial,” Muniz continued. “Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs may not be available to children in need.”

To participate in the drive, postal customers can leave food donations in a bag next to their mailboxes.

Last year, the drive collected 75 million pounds of food nationwide, enough to feed an estimated 64 million people, Muniz wrote, adding that about 1.6 billion pounds of food have been collected over the course of the food drive’s history.

Currently, 79 million Americans, or 1 in 6, are unsure where their next meal is coming from, Muniz wrote.