Stamp Out Hunger 2026
The National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 6000 and the United States Postal Service in partnership with Island Harvest will be collaborating on our 34th annual STAMP OUT HUNGER FOOD DRIVE, on Saturday May 9, 2026.
Last year 2025, Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive collected 338,000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need on Long Island. According to Island Harvest estimates, 338,000 pounds of food collected is the equivalent of approximately 300,000 meals for food-insecure people here on Long Island. Thank you letter carriers! I would also like to thank my committee of Mike Castellano of Levittown and Francis Toney of Merrick who helped me distribute the cards and food drive bags.
Island Harvest has been our partner in this worthy endeavor for as long as I can remember. Again, this year I am honored to be working with Bena Halloran who is the Food Collection Coordinator for Island Harvest. She and her team work tirelessly to make the food drive a success. Island Harvest works with 300 Member Agencies, these are local food pantries that are here on Long Island.
The concerns that were discussed with Island Harvest, about the well-being of our community following last year’s passage of a bill with broad restrictions on SNAP benefits, are now becoming reality. New federal work requirements for SNAP benefits, passed in President Donald Trump “Big Beautiful Bill,” are now going into effect. Island Harvest is preparing for a significant increase in demand for food while facing more limited resources due to last year’s federal funding cuts. Island Harvest is reaching out now to help meet these growing needs of the communities. Because no one deserves to go hungry. 110,000 households and 168,000 individuals receive SNAP benefits on Long Island, 70% live in Suffolk County alone. Roughly 30% of New York SNAP beneficiaries are children and 31% are elderly or individuals with disabilities. New legislation also repeals SNAP work exemptions for the homeless, veterans, and young adults aging out of foster care. The average monthly SNAP benefit in New York is $376 per family.
Through the Food Collection and Distribution Program, Island Harvest directly delivers food and support services to neighbors in need across Long Island, these efforts include: The Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding Program, School Pantry Program, Youth Produce Project, and Summer Food Service Program which distributed more than 777,630 meals to children at-risk for food insecurity at more than 105 sites. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program provided monthly USDA food boxes to up to 8,000 seniors who are considered to have an extremely low income at 87 sites. The Mobile Market supported nearly 30,000 households including seniors, veterans, military families, active-duty personnel with more than 400,000 pounds of product supplementing over 320,000 meals. This is where the food goes that you collect.
This food drive is not about recognition for the NALC or Branch 6000 or any other entity of the union. This food drive is not about the USPS or anything else that is related to the postal service. This food drive is to help your neighbors and your communities where you live and work. I have been doing this food drive for over 20 years, and it seems that every year it gets harder for you the membership to participate in this worthy cause. You should be thankful every two weeks you receive a paycheck! There are plenty of people that do not and rely on food pantries for food, like I mentioned above. Why would you not participate is beyond my comprehension. We are in a customer service business this food drive is positive and gives us a good impression to the public and when we need their support for legislation to get passed and awareness of issues that are important to us, the community comes through! They call their representatives on our behalf. Don’t think the representatives on Capitol Hill don’t notice this act of kindness that we do! This is good publicity for us!
Every year I notice food drive cards not being delivered. Every year I must explain why food drive cards were not delivered. Every year I must explain why food was not picked up when left at the mailbox. Quite frankly I am sick and tired of covering up for members who do not want to participate in the food drive. It is one day to deliver the cards and one day to pick up the food. If you cannot give that back to the communities that you serve, then you are selfish person and hopefully you will not be on the other end of the spectrum and need food assistance.
This food that we collect is for the insecure families here on Long Island, remember the food that we collect stays here locally on Long Island! It’s disheartening to learn each year that that food is left at mailboxes and not picked up, or food drive cards were not delivered. I recognize the additional burden of this place on you all and appreciate those of you who championships for this critical program each year. Each one of you can play a role in helping to end hunger on Long Island. By participating in this campaign and committing to delivering the cards and picking up food on May 9th, you ensure that children, seniors, veterans and so many others will have access to healthy food they need to thrive.
I will be sending food drive postcards to every post office, which will be delivered by you the week prior to the food drive. Every mailbox will have a postcard delivered alerting the community to place a bag of nonperishable food items outside their mailbox on Saturday May 9h. All the shop stewards this year will be food drive coordinators unless you appoint someone in your place.
Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW has donated 72,000 food drive bags that will be distributed to some of the post offices. Local 338 spends money on printing these bags. The least we can do is deliver them and pick up the food in those bags! Any post office that would like food drive bags or do not receive food drive cards please let your full-time officer know or email me at: tsiesto@nalcbr6000.com. I know the number of deliveries for every office so there is no need to give me that information.
Without a successful food drive, food banks could be turning away those in need due to a lack of food. So, please participate by doing your part delivering the postcards and food drive bags if your post office receives them and please pick up non-perishable food items at the mailbox on Saturday May 9th.
I would like to thank all the letter carriers of Branch 6000, L.I. Federation of Labor, Local 338 and all the other unions that will be working extra hard to make this year’s food drive a success!
