Karen Kistler

karen.kistler@salisburypost.com

 

SALISBURY — Volunteers were on the docks at the Salisbury Post Office on May 10, helping to unload some deliveries from letter carriers as they returned from their routes.

On this particular occasion, it wasn’t mail that was being dropped off and sorted, but food, which had been left at mailboxes from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Once again this year, the local post office participated in the food drive with rural and city carriers collecting food donations left at mailboxes, which were then sorted and distributed to the two local food banks — Rowan Helping Ministries and the Salvation Army.

The Rowan County United Way helped in this project connecting the post office with the food banks and assisting with volunteers and marketing, said United Way Philanthropy Director Audrey Eudy in a previous story.

Eudy shared that as of May 12, the total amount of food collected was 6,480 pounds with the collection of nonperishable food items still ongoing at the Salisbury Post Office as well as the United Way office.

She added that several places, including RWB Trucking, 220 W. Ritchie Road, DSS and the health department, have allowed them to place barrels at their locations to collect food as well.

Appreciation was expressed to these locations for their participation in this food drive and allowing the barrels to be placed.

During the different shifts, 10 volunteers and five staff members from Rowan Helping Ministries and seven from the Salvation Army were at the docks helping sort and pack up the food.

Kristine Wiles, director of crisis assistance/food operations with Rowan Helping Ministries, said that receiving the food from this event “means we are going to be able to feed more people.”

She said that pantries had been running lean lately and they had to purchase food; therefore, this donation would be “a huge influx” coming into their pantries and they would not have to spend money from donors to purchase food.

Wiles said that last month they had been able to serve more than 1,300 families, and once school is out they see an increase in the number of families that participate.

One of the letter carriers commented that donations on her route were down, and she was shocked. She said her route has 650 mailboxes and she only picked up food from 10 of those.

“If every person would give just one can in their mailbox on just my route,” she said, “I would have picked up 650 cans. One can.”

Volunteers came to help do what they could during the day. Dr. Ethel Bamberg-Revis, who was helping on behalf of Rowan Helping Ministries, worked to pack boxes, unload the truck when packages came in and sort.

“No job was too small,” she said. “I am just so grateful to God that I am able to come out and to do the volunteering so that others could be helped, and I just wish that more people would participate either by giving or coming to donate their time. There are so many people in Rowan County right now who are really struggling and any little bit will help them and lift their spirits. I just want to be a part of that.” 

Rebecca Wilson, who was among those volunteering with the Salvation Army, said that she came to the event because “I love helping the community.”

Ellery Klingyoung, who, along with her parents and sister McKenna, are new to the area, coming from Pennsylvania. She said, “we really wanted to get involved in the community” and so they came to help out.

And the help of everyone was appreciated by those at the post office as Danny Damato, a letter carrier and the post office coordinator for the NALC branch, said, “I’m very appreciative.”

He noted that he had been with the postal service for 25 years and he has seen some people that really need the assistance.

“And seeing people like this (who) will take their time to step up and help and be able to help other people, you can’t put words in it,” he said.

Damato said that the post office has been involved in this food drive as long as he has been there, which he noted has been for 20 years, adding that it has probably been 10 years that the other groups have been helping on the dock when the food comes back to the post office.

This is something they want to do, he said, and “the National Postal Service wants us to concentrate on the community, trying to keep in town, in the community to benefit our people that we’re delivering to.”

The food banks who are recipients of the food were also grateful as Kyna Grubb, executive director for Rowan Helping Ministries, said, “We’re so thankful to our local letter carriers and everyone who took part in the drive. The food collected through Stamp Out Hunger will help stock our pantry shelves at a time when need is at an all-time high. It’s a true community effort, and we’re so grateful to be the recipients of this community effort.”

Captain Teresa Bush, corps officer with the Salvation Army, said previously that “the food that is gathered really helps benefit our food pantry once a year. Having this opportunity gives us a better chance at giving back to the community to those in need.”