Stamp Out Hunger: Why This Saturday Matters More Than Ever
By Shaun Tatarka, Executive Director, Great Falls Community Food Bank

This Saturday, May 9th, our community has an opportunity to make a real, immediate difference in the fight against hunger right here in Great Falls.

The annual “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive—now in its 33rd year—brings together letter carriers and local volunteers for a single, powerful purpose: to help stock the shelves of the Great Falls Community Food Bank at a time when we need it most.

And I’ll be honest—this drive is critical.

Summer is traditionally one of the toughest seasons for food banks. Donations tend to slow down, but the need doesn’t. Families are still struggling, kids are home from school, and grocery bills don’t take a break just because the weather warms up. We rely heavily on this drive to help carry us through those months.

In recent years, we’ve seen participation dip following the COVID-19 hiatus. Like many community efforts, we’re still working to rebuild that momentum. This year, we’ve set a goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of food—and reaching it would make a meaningful difference for the families we serve.

The good news? We’re not in this alone.

About 45 volunteers will be out alongside our letter carriers on Saturday morning, helping collect donations across the city. It’s a big job—too big for carriers to handle on their own—and we’re incredibly grateful for everyone stepping up to share the load. This is what community looks like.

If you’re planning to participate—and I hope you are—here’s what you need to know:

Leave your unopened, non-perishable food donation by your mailbox before 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, regardless of when your mail is usually delivered. Our volunteers will be out early, and collection wraps up around 12:30 p.m.

If you prefer to give financially, you can use the donation envelope that was mailed to residents this week. And if your donation happens to be missed, don’t worry—there are still plenty of ways to help. You can drop off food at any Great Falls post office through Wednesday, May 13th, or bring donations directly to the Food Bank at 1620 12th Ave. North during business hours. For larger donations, just give us a call and we’ll arrange a pickup.

What makes this drive so special isn’t just the food—it’s the legacy behind it.

The National Association of Letter Carriers has a long history of stepping up when communities are in need. From disaster relief to checking in on vulnerable neighbors, letter carriers have always gone beyond delivering mail—they deliver care. “Stamp Out Hunger” grew out of that spirit in the early 1990s and has since become the largest one-day food drive in the country, collecting more than 1.9 billion pounds of food over the years.

That’s an incredible legacy. And it continues this Saturday—with your help.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make a difference, this is one of the simplest ways to do it. A few cans or boxes of food, left by your mailbox, can help ensure that someone in our community doesn’t have to go without.

Hunger doesn’t take a vacation. But together, we can make sure fewer families have to face it alone.