Residents can help 'Stamp Out Hunger' with help from U.S. Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service is making it easy for people to join the fight against hunger.

A Stamp Out Hunger campaign will take place May 13 in Blawnox and Sharpsburg where people can set out cereal, chicken soup, canned corn and other items for mail carriers to collect.

Food will be donated to the Sharpsburg Food Pantry, run by the St. Vincent DePaul Society in the basement of St. Mary’s Church along Penn Street.

“We serve about 90 individuals at the pantry each month,” said BJ George, society president. “We expect the number of families served to increase since SNAP benefits have been reduced.”

Enhanced covid-era food benefits came to an end in March, with households no longer receiving the second monthly emergency allotment that started in 2020. Households once again get one SNAP payment per month.

Joanne Saunders, food pantry co-coordinator, said mail carriers in Blawnox and Sharpsburg will be alerting residents along their routes about the effort.

Food can be left in the mailbox or nearby, clearly marked, for collection.

“Everything that is collected will be donated,” Saunders said. “This campaign in past years has provided significant inventory.”

The Sharpsburg food bank has helped people in need for 70 years. It distributes food on the third Thursday of the month.

Shelves are stocked like aisles in a grocery store and people are able to sometimes snag toiletries, clothes and paper products as well.

Co-coordinator Jennifer Begg said that items in demand currently include peanut butter, jelly, pasta sauce, boxed potatoes, broth, body wash and fabric softener.

George said non-perishable donations are combined with fresh produce, dairy products and meat contributed by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Shop ‘n Save and Aldi to provide much-needed groceries to supplement families’ budgets.

Through the nonprofit 412 Food Rescue, food is also delivered to about 20 people, mostly elderly, who are not able to come to the pantry.