AMHERST – Officials at the Amherst Survival Center hope 10,000 pounds of food will be collected from Amherst residents and people in neighboring communities during the annual “Stamp out Hunger” food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers union Saturday.
People are encouraged to set out a bag of nonperishable food next to their mailboxes by 9 a.m. In Amherst, Hadley, Pelham, Belchertown, Sunderland and South Deerfield, most of the food collected will go to the food pantry at 138 Sunderland Road and will be made available to eligible residents in 13 towns.
Mindy Domb, executive director at the center, said in a statement that food drives and financial contributions support the programs at the food pantry.
“In the past year, the center increased the amount of food that food pantry participants receive, and we’re seeing a larger number of households using the pantry, where we now provide groceries to 650 to 700 families each month,” Domb said.
Valley Gives Day last week raised money for the center’s milk fund, which purchases fresh milk for the pantry.
The center needs volunteers on Saturday and Monday to carry boxes and sort food donations. Anyone interested may call Carleen Basler at 549-3968, Ext. 111.
Other organizations that will benefit from the “Stamp out Hunger” event are the Northampton Survival Center, the Easthampton Community Center and the First Baptist Church in Amherst.