East County News Service

April 29, 2026 (San Diego County) — The U.S. Postal Service will carry more than just mail Saturday, May 9 during the 34th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Recognized as the largest single-day food collection effort in the United States, the event mobilizes the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank in replenishing local food pantry shelves before summer.

The drive comes at a pivotal moment for the region.

As the school year draws to a close, many children lose access to the daily free or reduced-price meal programs offered by school districts. The summer gap, combined with the sustained pressure of high local living costs, has kept the demand for food assistance at near-record levels.

Last year, the community’s response was massive, with residents donating nearly 127,000 pounds of food along local mail routes.

The logistics of the drive are designed for maximum convenience. To donate, San Diego County residents are asked to place a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before their letter carrier arrives on Saturday.

Letter carriers will collect these donations and take them to local hubs where volunteers and Food Bank staff will sort the haul. The food is then moved to the Food Bank’s primary warehouse in the Miramar area before being distributed to more than 450 nonprofit partners. (Partners including soup kitchens, shelters, and faith-based pantries across the county.)

The Food Bank and more

The San Diego Food Bank has been a fixture of the community since 1977, growing from a small grassroots operation into the county’s primary hunger-relief engine. While the organization rescues millions of pounds of fresh produce and retail leftovers annually, the Stamp Out Hunger drive provides shelf-stable items essential for long-term food security.

Organizers have identified several “most-needed” items that provide the highest nutritional value for families in crisis. These include canned meats and fish, such as tuna and chicken; canned vegetables and fruits; and canned soups, and stews. High-demand pantry staples like oatmeal, boxes of cereal, rice and jars of peanut butter are also high on the priority list.

While the letter carriers handle the heavy lifting on the routes, a massive volunteer effort will be underway at several key processing locations across the city. Between 3 and 6 p.m., teams will be stationed at the Encanto, Grantville and Scripps Ranch post offices, as well as the Food Bank’s main Miramar Warehouse, to manage the influx of goods.

For the NALC, this drive represents a decades-long commitment to the communities they walk every day. By leveraging the existing infrastructure of the postal service, the drive reaches neighborhoods that might otherwise be disconnected from traditional donation centers.

For more information, visit sandiegofoodbank.org/stamp-out-hunger.

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