Unionists had a busy day helping collect food donations for area pantries.

They were collecting for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive on Saturday May 11, 2024, in the La Crosse area.

After collection, donations are sorted and distributed to food banks. This year’s food bank recipients include the La Crosse Hunger Task Force, WAFER, Onalaska Food Basket and La Crescent Food Shelf.

In the Coulee Region three community partners come together to make this Food Drive happen.

Melanie Cary & Mike Davis Jr

The Letter Carriers (NALC Branch 59), Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO, & the Great Rivers United Way join together to ask area residents to participate by donating food, volunteering to help – or both.

The food is then taken to a centralized collection point for weighing, sorting, and preparing for delivery to area food banks.  IBEW 14 staffed the Onalaska collection point by sorting and preparing donations for delivery to food banks.

At the La Crosse Post Office collection point WWAFLCIO President Mike Davis Jr (IAMAW 1115) and Executive Board member Melanie Cary (AFT 6502) assisted by unloading and sorting donations.

WWAFLCIO Treasurer Bill Brockmiller pictured with a representative from NALC Branch 59 and other food drive community partners.

This was the 32nd year of the food drive, the largest single-day food drive in the country.

Over its 32-year history, the effort has collected nearly two billion pounds of food thanks to a universal postal network that reaches locations across the country, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The annual May event is vital to local food pantries and neighbors in need. Food availability is usually lower in the spring. When schools close during the summer, the need for additional food is greater because younger students are unable to participate in school breakfast and lunch programs. Locally, almost a third of children are at risk of not getting enough to eat.