Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 28, 1994 TAG: 9405300001
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By BETTY HAYDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This was the first year New River Valley postal employees have participated in the food drive, said Don Cantrell of the Radford post office, a coordinator of the event.
For the last two years, the National Association of Letter Carriers sponsored sample food drives in a limited number of postal branches before deciding to go nationwide with the campaign this year.
Carriers asked residents to leave nonperishable items near their mailboxes. Postal workers distributed the food to local food banks and churches.
Cantrell said many employees volunteered their time and their personal vehicles to deliver the food.
Pulaski residents donated 7,600 pounds, the most in the New River Valley. Wytheville residents donated 7,000 pounds, and Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Radford residents donated nearly 6,000 pounds each.
"It's guaranteeing that people who have rough times know they have something to depend on," Cantrell said.
Alice Wills, coordinator of Blacksburg's Interfaith Food Pantry, said the food collected in Blacksburg will last the pantry through the summer. Thirteen churches and the Jewish Community Center operate the pantry, which serves more than 200 families each month.
In Radford, postal volunteers filled the basement of Our Daily Bread soup kitchen and the basements of two volunteers, said Jim Saul, manager of customer service at Radford post office. The Our Daily Bread operation in Pulaski benefited from collections in that area.
Food collected in Christiansburg went to Bethel Community Church and Emergency Assistance Services. In Wytheville, the food went to the Southwest Virginia Food Bank.
Nationwide, postal workers collected 36 million pounds of food, with more than 790 offices participating.
Though the national letter carriers' organization sponsored the event, clerks, retired carriers and rural route carriers collected food as well.
"An idea is one thing, but when it comes down to it, the majority of postal employees jumped in," Cantrell said.
He said many area postmasters were pleasantly surprised by the response of the public and hope to do even better next year.
by CNB