Food Drive Collects 173,997 Pounds of Food For Harvest Hope Food Bank

COLUMBIA, GREENVILLE AND CHARLESTON, SC ― On Saturday, May 9, Harvest Hope Food Bank joined forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to help Stamp Out Hunger across 20 SC counties. Now in its 23nd year, the annual food drive coordinated regional and national efforts to collect 73,988 pounds of food from seven Columbia area post offices, or the equivalent of 56,913 meals.

At its regional branch locations, Harvest Hope collected 87,198 pounds of food in Greenville and 12,811 pounds of food in Florence. This brings Harvest Hope’s total for the 23^rd Annual Stamp Out Hunger NALC food drive to 173,997 pounds, enough to provide 133,834 meals, and an increase of almost 7,000 pounds over last year’s total.

South Carolina letter carriers collected food donations left at mailboxes as they delivered mail and delivered to Harvest Hope staff and at area post offices. The results from Saturday, May 10 at Columbia area post offices were:

• Assembly Street:                           16,515
• Cayce Branch:                                19,715
• Dutch Fork Branch:                      11,254
• Garner’s Ferry Road Branch:      5.928
• Two Notch Branch:                       9,127
• Sandhills Branch:                          4,368
• Forest Drive Branch:                    7,081

Harvest Hope’s staff and volunteers collected 12,811 pounds of food at the main branch of the Florence post office, or the equivalent of 9,846 meals. In Greenville, Harvest Hope had staff and volunteers at seven Greater Greenville Area post offices, and collected 87,198 pounds of food, enough to provide 67,075 meals.