Food Donations Left Near Your Mailbox Saturday Will be Delivered to Local Food Bank

Set out a bag (or several) of non-perishable food items next to your mailbox on Saturday before your mail carrier arrives, and you'll help the National Association of Letter Carriers in its annual food drive — and a local charity. 

"It goes to your local food bank," said Gary Bluestone, president of the Branch 84 of the association, which covers 104 zip codes within Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Washington counties. 

Each district designates the local food bank or church that will receive the donations. For the North Hills area, food donated will help the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. 

The "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive is in its 20th year, and may be the largest food drive in the nation. 

The Pittsburgh area collected about 300,000 pounds of food in 2011, down from an average range of 450,000 to 1.5 million collected in years past, Bluestone said.

Nationwide, about 70.2 million pounds of food was collected, according to statistics published by the national organization.

Are you planning to participate? Say so below to help rally the community this year for the largest collection ever!