To the editor,

Each year, on one glorious May day, the Letter Carriers from around our nation come together to lift

their neighbors from hunger by picking up donated food left at the mailboxes throughout each

community. These little bags come together in a river of food that fills the shelves of organizations like

Fishline during the hardest part of the year. For families with children in school, the amount of food

needed grows in summer because school meals are not available – thanks to the Stamp Out Hunger

food drive, held on May 12 this year, we can meet that need, and the need of many others, without

worry.

But more than that, the way our community comes together to support this drive is inspiring and

hopeful. Dozens of volunteers pitched in on Saturday to pick up, sort, date check and put away nearly

18,000 pounds of food; letter carriers joined in the fun, happy to help and committed to doing their

part; and we all listened anticipation throughout the day for the tally of incoming items that was

announced regularly to cheers and thankfulness. The atmosphere was infused with camaraderie and

cooperation, a beautiful byproduct that can result when people come together to serve with shared

purpose.

Our community never fails to astonish us by its generous support of helping agencies like ours. We

thank all of you who contributed, we honor our volunteers for their dedication, and we thank the Letter

Carriers and the staff at the Poulsbo Post Office for their unfailing and enthusiastic support.

Mary Nader and the Fishline Team

Poulsbo