According to Feeding America, about 180,000 people in Maine are food insecure, or about 13 percent of the state's total population.
BANGOR, Maine — Mail carriers in the Greater Bangor area were out at doorsteps Saturday picking up food donations from Maine residents participating in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
The U.S. Postal Service's National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the Heart of Maine United Way partner each year to collect food donations across the state and address food insecurity.
The anti-hunger initiative led by NALC is national and one of the largest one-day food drives in the country, said Matt Donahue, vice president and chief impact officer at Heart of Maine United Way. said.
“Things like today where we can do an End Hunger food drive really help with food insecurity and hunger in Maine,” Donahue said.
The Bangor site collects about 30,000 pounds of food each year, which is the equivalent of about 25,000 meals, Donahue said. Those meals will be distributed to local food pantries.
“We have tremendous support from volunteers,” Donahue said. “You can actually see it in action: food comes in, goes back to the pantry that same day, and then goes to someone's home next week.”
Community members participating in the annual food drive fill small bags with a variety of food items with hope. They then leave the food bags on their front porch or doorstep.
Postal carriers walk or drive delivery routes, pick up donated food items, and load them into the backs of mail trucks.
“I've only done four walking routes so far, but I have at least 20 bags,” said Thomas Richendler.
Mr. Richendler has worked as a mail carrier for 30 years, delivering mail in the Bangor area for five years.
“It's going to be a long day,” Richendler said. “But it will be worth it.”
After completing the route, the carriers meet with volunteers in the community and load all donated food into the volunteers' personal vehicles.
Volunteers then deliver the donations to USPS locations. In the Greater Bangor area, all the magic happened at the USPS Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Hampden.
There, volunteers will sort the groceries and prepare them for pickup and distribution.
NALC's partnership with Heart of Maine United Way, combined with the efforts of volunteers like Bill Ray, joins a helping hand and provides meals to some families they cannot afford on their own.
“People are starving, and as you and I both know, the price of food at the grocery store is going up,” Ray said. “So it's a hard choice to choose between paying rent and buying a gallon of milk for your kids.”
According to Feeding America, approximately 180,000 people in Maine are food insecure, or 13% of the state's total population.
“He's not who we imagine him to be,” Donahue said. “In fact, many of our neighbors and colleagues may be one step away from suffering.”
Ray helps run Manna Soup Kitchen in Bangor and said she knows people who rely on the help the food drives provide.
“This is why I do it,” Ray said. “I'm 74 years old and I don't want to quit. And as long as God gives me breath, I'm going to keep going.”
Mark Rose, a letter carrier and president of the local NALC chapter, said he is happy to work for a company that is involved in such a great cause.
“It's a job, but it's rewarding to contribute to the community, and the community is contributing,” Rose said.
While many people are hesitant to ask for or receive help due to negative stigma, Donahue believes that everyone needs support, and some people in life need it more than others. I said that there is.
“Ask for help when you need it. There's no shame in it and there's nothing wrong with needing help,” Donahue said. “People are going to go through difficult times in their lives, so take when you need and give when you can.”
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