Given the obesity rates among Americans, it is difficult to imagine that anyone among us is hungry.

But statistics show that 49 million Americans – one sixth of us – is unsure where their next meal will come from. Sixteen million of those hungry Americans are children.

That’s why we encourage local citizens to fill the bags left in your mailboxes by your letter carrier this weekend.

This Sat., May 10, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold their 22nd Annual Food Drive — the largest single-day collection of canned goods in the nation.

Particularly good items to give are peanut butter, canned soup, canned meats and fish, canned vegetables, fruits and juices, boxed goods (such as cereal), and pasta and rice — the next time you’re at the grocery store. Leave your bag of donated food items at your mailbox for your city or rural letter carrier to pick up. All donated goods will be brought back to the Post Office and given to a local charity.

Our contributions can’t stamp out hunger for the millions of people in American who need it, but they can stamp it out for a few meals in our community.