5.9.2023 - Stamp Out Hunger Press Event

thank you all for coming I know you're all very busy I know so I'm going to try to get you in and out it's so important that we do events like this we work very hard in trying to get the word out that we're doing this one of those ways that we do it is through the bag sponsors that you see behind us right now they give us the ability they purchase

the bags first and then we get to deliver them and as you can see we're already collecting food Andrea came in early and I was showing the post office there's another 100 buckets in there and we haven't started yet so that's that's what the bags do for us in addition Campbell soup and some other uh sponsors sponsor food drive Cod did we also get that out so we're very grateful uh Janine from the United Way

called me just asking um for a comment because she sends out a press release uh and it was it was just very easy to do because we're about in the community you see us we're out there six days a week Sundays delivering Parcels um and um the community is very important to us because we see it all the time but all we're doing on this day nothing extraordinary we're just being a conduit

for those who can help to assist those that need help that's all it is it's it's not it's not a big thing but that's all we're doing um uh so I want to introduce uh Julie Pereira she's a food drive coordinator um new at this I stayed to help her because actually she's expecting her first child so we don't want to overwhelm her uh so that's why you have me today

uh uh but the other thing that we do do uh is um uh well I we love doing this but we'll also take monetary donations uh we have a um it's called The Steve Caper fund we had a carrier who was a big big proponent of the food drive who passed away on food drive weekend he had a brain aneurysm we actually buried him on food drive day um so we've we've done that uh now last

year the year before um I think and it's just stuff that the carriers put money into the carriers and clerks and the other postal employees uh but we had raised three thousand dollars we were able to distribute that to a number of food banks and our national Union match that so we were able to put six thousand towards towards the local food pantries we service about 20 local food pantries

um uh they come off and on I do have a list of who we service if anyone wants it and what we've collected over the years uh and just yesterday I had another one come to the door yesterday asking if we could possibly get them food it was a veterans group from coffee row up on Third Street um so we have a new one that we have to add so we'll add them we'll somehow

we'll find ways to get them food but with that uh we are so grateful uh to the United Way for what they do for us uh Rachel does a great job uh she just says what's the date that's all I have to do I just have to give her a date and she organizes these sponsors for us who we're very grateful for um so with that I'm going to have the United Way take over for me

thank you Paul that's okay um good morning everyone Kim Smith from the United Way of Greater Fall River I'd like to just give Paul a round of applause he's so humble and really his efforts on an annual basis and um truly as the point person you you have big shoes to fill I'm sure you know that but I'm sure you're going to do very well um Paul has been an amazing

um you know uh just a proponent of of this of this day and truly we couldn't do it without our sponsors so I wanted to just share with you um the bag everybody knows the green bag by now uh Stamp Out Hunger it is a national campaign that is in partnership with the United ways across the country as well as our national letter carriers but we truly couldn't do it without our

sponsors and this year we have CNN's Hospital Tracy ibbison representing Saints hospital we have Bank five we have Andrea Rodricks from Bank five and uh Blount Seafood here at the top Andrea Walker from Blount Seafood these are three Community Partners that have really been strong proponents of food security and doing whatever it takes to make sure that our neighbors our friends our families are are helped

each and every day through food collection food distribution sponsorships food drives Blount has a little Edge because they are in the food industry but they are so generous uh with with their food and their soups and the delicious entities that they're able to bring to us and so we thank them this is the card that Paul was also referencing just to give a little bit of instruction to our families we want to make sure

that our food collection provides dignity to the families that are receiving our food so it talks about making sure food is not expired and in good condition boxes aren't broken and cracked and things like that so um we're grateful and at United Way we're dedicated we're dedicated to improving health education Financial stability and the basic needs of our community by harnessing the caring power

of individuals just like you just like our sponsors just like our postal carriers who no matter the weather are there for you um and as a proud supporter of the National Association of letter carriers annual stamp out food hunger drive we commit our Focus to raising awareness around food insecurity and encouraging donations to support our local food pantries and absolutely will take on

another that's the veterans soup kitchen on 3rd Street in the Corky row neighborhood so of course this Saturday so we're just on the heels or not on the heels just uh about to embark on this Saturday May 13th very special day residents in Fall River and Somerset will participate in the National Stamp Out Hugo Drive by filling the green bags biodegradable bags by the way that are delivered to their homes with

non-perishable items so you should have already gotten your bag if you haven't received it yet you can certainly reach out to your postal carrier I'm sure they have some in the truck letter carries throughout these communities will collect filled bags and redistribute them through their local postal post offices to the food pantries that we're partnering with there are more than one in five adults

that identify as food insecure in our local communities and we and certainly our postal carries can see that the need is great they see it every day so a warm meal helps to provide the foundation to move successfully throughout the day and and overcome the challenges that are made difficult when they don't have critical nourishment a basic need as letter carriers travel throughout our

communities daily they become familiar with the faces of those experiencing food insecurity they are the ambassadors at the Forefront of making connections just like Paul said and their dedication to service forms of Natural Bridge for supporting this cause by spearheading Stamp Out Hunger letter carriers and community members work together they work in tandem to fill food pantry

shelves during a time when donations are typically lacking this event plays a critical role in ensuring that local food pantries stay stocked and remain a viable resource for individuals and families if I recall correctly Paul last year we collected 70 000 pounds of food through this one simple gesture one day folks taking uh you know items out of their cupboard or going and purchasing some things from

their store while they're doing groceries and filling the bags it has a huge impact so we thank you for that we want to again extend a huge thank you to this year's General sponsors Bank five blunt Fine Foods in Saint Anne's Hospital for their help in advancing this cause your support their support together our Collective support strengthens the actions taken to overcome food scarcity seen in our

neighborhoods and we ask that residents continue to help support and fight to end Hunger by participating in Stamp Out Hunger and with that I'd like to turn it over to our mayor mayor Paul Coogan of this fine city of Fall River so it's always nice to come out and acknowledge the great work that the Postal Service does to help Stamp Out Hunger in Fall River they're a key piece of it and it's it's a tradition that's

going on for a long time so obviously to acknowledge their great work we developed a proclamation from the city which I'll read and I'll give to Paul the National Association of letter carriers will sponsor a nationwide food drive on May 13 2023 and whereas the nalc program started in 1991 and has grown into the largest one-day food collection in our nation and whereas in 2022 over 62 000 pounds of food in Fall

River and Somerset Community and whereas the Fall River branch of 51 letter carriers has worked over the years to provide needed services to our community helping to feed those in need and whereas the city of Fall River is proud to recognize the significant and important contribution of the nalc branch 51 to our community therefore I Paul Coogan mayor of the city of Fall River Massachusetts through

hereby Proclaim Saturday May 13th as letter carriers food drive day and I do encourage all the residents of the community to participate in the food drive that Kim was nice enough to just explain from the United Way who also does a great job on this witnessed by me Paul Coogan obviously May 13th pitch in and help we'd really appreciate everyone supporting the people in Florida that need extra help and of course

it's not an event without the sponsors at Blount Saint Anne's and Bank five that all pitch in together to make this viable and keep the community uh another step to keeping the community fed and I appreciate all your efforts thank you very very much so once again I really want to thank you all for coming uh when I first came out I didn't see how postmaster Chuck Masters so so he's there right now so I

wanted to thank the post office for what they do this is they they they're under stress too we we have mail to deliver and everything else but they're very good with us they uh the the buckets that you see here there's 20 there last year we filled 2100. so uh that we they give us all the supplies we need uh that day whatever time it takes us that's the time it takes us that day because it's

tough to deliver mail and pick up food but the post office has been a great partner in this so we appreciate them too uh so with that the weather looks very good the rest of the week a little bit of rain Friday night but I've been watching the forecast like for three weeks and it's pretty much held up that Saturday is going to be nice uh so we urge everyone to participate and they

can also um if they're in an area that they prefer to bring it here you can also bring it here we have collection points at all the post offices throughout the city and with that thank you all for coming and thank you and have a great summer you sure can

well I don't want to do all the talking I'm going to put Julia on the spot because she's just another carrier but uh I'll let you talk to that because I know you're the one that's you know um personally it's my favorite work day of the year and I know people do get really excited especially the more food we collect the more excited we get and then at the end of the day when we see

all of the accumulation it's heartwarming to see how many people are willing to give and it really is touching happy birthday without a different lens for that right a real big one