Volunteers Needed in Everett For Letter Carriers Food Drive

Time is quickly approaching for the annual letter carriers food drive. Volunteers are being recruited in Everett to sort and arrange donations from the carriers as they return from their rounds. Here’s the information you need:

Letter Carriers will be picking up food donations from throughout Snohomish County as part of their regular Saturday mail deliveries, on May 11 (the day before Mother’s Day). Yellow collection bags will be left in mailboxes the week of May 6.

Last year, over 270,000 pounds of food were collected as part of this one-day event – accounting for half of all food collected by food drives for the entire year. Snohomish County food banks rely heavily on the canned goods, dry foods such as pasta and cereal and other non-perishable items that make up the bulk of food donations.

“The second Saturday in May has become a very special day for us. We get to see first-hand how our neighbors are willing to work together on an important cause,” said Bob James, president of the Washington State Association of Letter Carriers, whose route is in Mountlake Terrace. “It’s such a good feeling to drive down a street, and see it lined with yellow bags of food.”

While the food drive is a national event, locally, volunteers are being organized at post offices in Everett, Edmonds and Lynnwood. “It really is a team effort. Volunteers sort and organize the food in the yellow bags and trucks from Hogland’s Trucking will transport and store the food,” said Dennis G. Smith, president and CEO of United Way of Snohomish County.

Volunteers can sign up through Volunteers of America Western Washington’s website at http://www.voaww.org/lettercarriers.

First, don’t forget to leave a bag of food for your postal worker on MAY 11th! You will receive a yellow bag in your mailbox.

Next, sign up to be a volunteer! We are looking for volunteers to help sort, load, and distribute food collected to the Snohomish County Food Distribution Center.

The shifts will be two hours long at four different locations in Snohomish County. To volunteer, please click on a time and location of your choice. Don’t wait because spots will fill up fast!

Please complete a waiver form and watch for an email confirmation with more details about the day-of activities. If you have any questions, please contact WendiLee MacLeod, wmacleod@voaww.org.

Everett Main Postal Station 1:  12:00pm – 2:00pm
Everett Main Postal Station 2:  2:00pm – 4:00pm
Everett Main Postal Station 3:  4:00pm – 6:30pm

Everett – Paine Field Postal Station 1:  12:00pm – 2:00pm
Everett – Paine Field Postal Station 2   2:00pm – 4:00pm
Everett – Paine Field Postal Station 3   4:00pm – 6:30pm