VALDOSTA & ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - On Saturday, May 10, Second Harvest of South Georgia, Feeding the Valley and the National Association of Letter Carriers will come together to participate in Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest single-day food drive.

For more than 30 years, this annual event has helped millions of Americans who are struggling to put food on the table.

On Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 8, Lowndes and Dougherty County residents may see a bag in the mail. It’s all a part of Stamp Out Hunger.

According to Feeding America, Second Harvest of South Georgia and Feeding the Valley continue to see elevated demand for food assistance. The neighboring areas served by the two organizations have the highest rates of food insecurity in the state and among the highest in the nation.

Felecia Kohler said, “As a single parent of five children myself, I definitely know how it important it is to know where the resources are for food.”

Felecia Kohler faced homelessness with her children which made her a strong advocate for families and children, starting her nonprofit Hope in Action South Georgia to support families, children and individuals impacted by food insecurity and homelessness.

“Some of our students — They face food insecurity in their own homes, and we make sure they know where the resources are for their families if need be,” she said.

Second Harvest of South Georgia said between COVID-19 and three major storms, food banks have seen a sharp decline in product and monetary donations.

Janna Luke, Second Harvest’s Director of Development and Marketing, said, “Right before the end of school, food drives kind of get out of the back burner by folks that are volunteering, churches and groups that want to do a local food drive. But this helps us boost and get ready for summer months and help possibly prepare for a disaster.”

The Stamp Out Hunger single-day food drive is a way to help families stretch their food dollars, especially those who rely on school provided meals.

Second Harvest estimates one in four South Georgia children live in food insecure homes. The agency said health problems and other difficulties caused by childhood hunger cost South Georgians more than $400 million dollars a year.

Luke said, “Any amount of food that we get helps us to provide for those in need.”

Residents can simply collect and bag non-perishable food items and leave those bags by their mailboxes on Saturday morning. Letter carriers and the food banks will make sure that your donation gets to those in need.

Participants are asked to donate canned items like meat, fish, vegetables or soup, and other nutritious shelf-stable items like peanut butter, rice and beans.

For food and event safety, organizers ask that no food donations be made in glass jars.

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