1,000+ Volunteers Power Nation's Biggest Food Drive

When food donations slow down after the holidays, hunger doesn't take a break. That's why postal workers and volunteers across the country spend May preparing for something remarkable.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, now in its 34th year, is America's largest single-day food drive. On May 9, mail carriers pick up bags of nonperishable food left by mailboxes and deliver them straight to local food banks.

For Open Doors of Washington Township Pantry near Indianapolis, this one Saturday changes everything. The donated food keeps their shelves stocked through summer, fall, and into Thanksgiving season.

Kurt Wanninger, the pantry's vice president of operations, has watched the program grow since 2005. Back then, volunteers prepared just 8,000 bags for distribution. Today, that number has jumped to 60,000 bags serving the combined 160,000 residents of Carmel and Westfield, Indiana.

The effort requires serious people power. Volunteers invest nearly 1,000 hours before collection day just folding postcards and stapling grocery bags donated by Meijer. Churches, businesses, Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and the National Charity League all pitch in.

On drive day itself, 40 volunteers sit at the Carmel Post Office sorting donations for four to six hours. Another 80 volunteers unload trucks at the Open Doors warehouse. Then 200 to 300 more volunteers spend two months dating and sorting every can, box, and jar to keep inventory fresh.

Greg Gormong, the postal service carrier technician leading Carmel's effort, coordinates with volunteers to make the massive sorting operation run smoothly. The work pays off when Open Doors shares surplus donations with other area food banks like Shepherd's Gate, Mama's Cupboard, and Harvest Food Bank.

The Ripple Effect

One day of giving creates months of impact rippling through multiple communities. Volunteers from every corner of town unite around a simple truth: their neighbors need help, and leaving a bag by the mailbox is an easy way to provide it.

Drive coordinator Peterson, a retired financial manager, sees the real need in Westfield's low-cost housing areas where not everyone has steady employment or stable housing. For him and the thousand-plus volunteers, the time investment means everything.

Hunger doesn't follow a calendar, but thanks to postal workers and an army of community volunteers, food banks can fill the gap when other donations dry up.