Rochester's food shelf will be getting an extra hand from record-breaking numbers in food donations.
Letter carriers, patrons and Seneca Foods raised 85,176 pounds of food for Channel One during the 24th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Letter carriers brought 43,866 pounds of food, and Seneca contributed 41,310 in honor of TJ and Preacher Palmby, former letter carriers.
The one-day food drive occurred on May 14 and is the largest food drive in the region. Stamp Out Hunger, a national food drive coordinated by the National Letter Carriers Association, partners letter carriers with local food shelves to help feed the hungry.
More than 23,000 children in the region no longer have access to school and lunch programs during the summer, and because of this, many food shelves see higher usages, but food donations decrease.
"The partnership between the letter carriers, Seneca Foods, the community and Channel One is truly remarkable," stated Jennifer Woodford, executive director of Channel One Regional Food Bank.
