Postal workers across the country, including in Berrien and Cass counties, are gearing up for one of the heaviest days of the year.

Every second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America collect the goodness and compassion of their postal customers who participate in the National Association of Letter Carriers’ ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ national food drive.

Donations go toward stocking the shelves of local food pantries, like that of the Niles Salvation Army.

“This drive supports three pantries in our area,” said Jan Nowak-Lumm, director of caring ministries and social services at the Salvation Army.

For the past few years, Nowak-Lumm has been seeing an unsettling trend.

“A lot of times the people helping out are now the people seeking services,” she said.

And the same can be said for this year. Nowak-Lumm estimated more than 50 percent of those individuals and families coming through the Salvation Army’s doors for help have never sought services before.

“Which tells me that the level of need in our area is now reaching a segment and a level of our society it has never reached before.”

She estimated $5,000 worth of groceries are going out of the Salvation Army’s pantry each month.

The postal food drive, which will take place on Saturday, is one of the most significant drives for pantries.

This is the 19th annual drive, the largest one-day food drive in the nation.

Carriers will collect non-perishable food donations left by mailboxes and deliver them to local community food banks, pantries and shelters. Led by letter carriers represented by the NALC and with the help of National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA), other postal employees and numerous other volunteers, the drive has resulted in delivery of more than 1 billion pounds of donations to community food banks and pantries over the pat 18 years.

The U.S. Postal Service and Campbell Soup Company are major supporters of the drive. Campbell Soup has also earmarked an additional 1 million pounds of canned food donation to the drive.

The drive also relies on the backing of the NRLCA, the Feeding America food bank network, the United Way of America and its local United Ways, the AFL-CIO Community Services network and countless local sponsors.

“With many men, women and children living at risk of hunger please join me and many other residents of the Cassopolis area by placing a non-perishable food donation next to your mailbox to help ‘Stamp out Hunger,” said Sharon Vliek, postmaster in nearby Cassopolis.

It is estimated that 35.5 million people face hunger every day in America, including 13 million children. This drive is one way people can help those right in their own city or town who need help.

All citizens need do is to place the food next to their mailbox before their letter carrier delivers mail on Saturday, May 14.

“Cereal boxes, canned meats of any kind, tuna, peanut butter, boxed meals, those kinds of staples are critical,” Nowak-Lumm said. “And we never have enough of them.”

The food is taken back to a postal station, sorted and then delivered to the food pantries in the local area.

A little bit can go a long way, Nowak-Lumm added.

“A little bit helps,” she said. “And everyone doing a little bit makes a big difference.”

For more information on the drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.