For the past 25 years, on the second Saturday in May, postal carriers across the United States have been collecting donations of cash and food for their local food shelves during their regular mail delivery routes, as part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, sponsored annually by the National Association of Letter Carriers - and Detroit Lakes is no exception.

"All the food and money donations that we collect go directly to the Becker County Food Pantry," says postal carrier Amy Aho, who helps organize the local event. "All of the donations collected by carriers across the U.S. stay local."

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This year's food drive is set for Saturday, May 13, and all local residents have to do in order to donate is to leave their non-perishable food items and cash donations next to their mailboxes, or drop them off at the post office, said Aho, noting that there would also be a donation box set out in the post office lobby on Saturday.

Aho said that all carriers on the city's five designated postal routes, as well as 10 rural route carriers, would be participating in the local drive.

"Other towns in this area will be doing it too," she added (call your local post office to find out whether they are participating). "We will be putting postcards into mailboxes along our routes this week as a reminder.

"On average, I believe that we collect about 800 pounds of food locally each year," she added, noting that cash donations are also welcome. "Just be sure to make out checks to the Becker County Food Pantry.

"We are very grateful for all the donations that we receive," Aho added.

All donations to the NALC's Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive are tax-deductible, because all of the food collected on Food Drive Day is given directly to non-profit local food shelves. Please have all food drive donations placed out by your mailbox well in advance of your carrier's normal delivery time. Frozen food, homemade food or home-canned items will not be accepted, nor will items that are in glass containers or have aged past their expiration date. Food that is opened, damaged, out of code or does not have the official ingredients included will be discarded as part of the sorting process once it has been delivered to the Food Pantry. For more information, please visit the NALC website at www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive.