Covington pantries desperate to replenish shelves

thru annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger event

COVINGTON, Ky. – Leave your donation of canned goods and other non-perishable food items in a bag near your mailbox this Saturday, May 11, and your postal carrier will do the rest to help two agencies in Covington who make sure low-income families get enough to eat.

Postal carriers will pick up the food and deliver it to local nonprofits that provide food to people who desperately need it, including two that operate in Covington: Be Concerned and Action Ministries. Food collected in Covington will be split between the two nonprofits.

It’s an annual initiative.

Each year, letter carriers across the country head out on their routes on the second Saturday in May to collect donations for the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive – the largest such event in the United States. NALC Branch 374 has participated in the Northern Kentucky food drive since it began 27 years ago. Last year, its carriers brought in nearly 23,000 lbs. of food, though past years have raised as much as 56,000 lbs.

The drive couldn’t come at a better time, said Lura Bentley, spokeswoman for Carriers Branch 374.

“Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons,” she said. “By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies.”

Be Concerned Executive Director Andy Brunsman agreed.

“This May food drive helps to fill the void caused by summer break when schools are out and donations run low,” he said.

In 2023, Be Concerned saw record numbers in the agency’s 37 years of food assistance, providing 16,547 individuals in 5,786 distinct families with food. Requests for help continue to rise.

“We are looking forward to this year’s drive,” said Brunsman. “With more than 2,200 families asking us for help each month right now at the pantry, it couldn’t come at a better time.”

Branch 374 collaborates with the Safety Net Alliance of Northern Kentucky on the drive, which is a collaborative of more than 150 organizations, nonprofits, churches, schools, and government entities that works to eliminate duplication and maximize services to low-income residents.

The other agencies who will benefit and distribute food outside Covington are Brighton Center and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport, Pantry of Hope in Highland Heights, CARE Mission in Alexandria, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Northern Kentucky.

Since its beginning, the NALC Stamp Out Hunger event has collected roughly 1.9 million pounds of food nationwide for those in need.

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