TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KSHV) – The largest one-day food drive in the country returns to Texarkana Saturday, May 13.

The drive, co-sponsored by the Harvest Regional Food Bank, gives residents an easy way to donate food to those in need.

To donate food, leave non-perishable items like pasta, rice, beans or canned soup, fruits, meat or vegetables next to your mailbox before the delivery of the mail on the 13th, and letter carriers will collect the donations along their postal routes.

The event comes at a critical time, according to Camille Wrinkle, CEO of Harvest Regional Food Bank, which is sponsoring the event along with the National Association of Letter Carriers. “With the rising cost of food, more people are struggling to put food on their table, especially families with children who may not have access to school-provided meals over the summer.”

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive, held annually on the second Saturday in May, has become the nation’s largest single-day food drive. There are now 10,000 cities and towns that participate each year. The food drive has collected around 1.82 billion pounds of food nationally over the last 30 years.

Donations to the Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive are tax-deductible. The food collected on Food Drive Day is given directly to non-profit charity food agencies in the community the food was collected. The Food Drive Coordinator at your local post office should be able to provide you with the tax information needed.

For Sanjera Johnson, NALC Branch 559 President, the annual food drive is near and dear to her heart and those of local letter carriers. “Just this simple act of kindness helps hundreds, even thousands, of less fortunate people not have to worry about their next meal,” according to Ms. Johnson.