PALMDALE – The city of Palmdale’s South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES) food and shelter program is seeking volunteers to help with the collection and sorting of foods gathered by the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, on Saturday, May 9.
“We really need volunteers on the day of collections to help weigh and sort the donated items for distribution by SAVES,” stated SAVES Coordinator Patricia Morales. “Get together with your friends, family or organization to put together a team of volunteers for a great cause!”
There will be two shifts: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m., both at SAVES, located at 1002 East Ave Q-12 in Palmdale.
Volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes and will be required to sign a liability form. Children ages 6 to 14 are welcome to participate, but must be accompanied by an adult.
Now in its 23rd year, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has collected and delivered more than one billion pounds of donations to community food banks and pantries.
On Saturday, May 9, Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Day, residents of communities all across the nation are asked to put non-perishable food items by their mailboxes for the letter carriers to pick up.
“Last year, USPS carriers collected over 47,000 pounds of food which helped support the work of SAVES for 3.5 months,” added Morales. “Each month, SAVES provides between 1,100 to 1,300 food orders, which is an average of 8,000 to 12,000 pounds of food per month.”
For more information on how you can volunteer or donate food, contact Kathy Roethler at 661-267-5296 or email kroethler@cityofpalmdale.org.
About SAVES
The city of Palmdale’s SAVES program has been successfully providing a practical and caring approach to serving people in need since 1983. During the 2012/2013 fiscal year, SAVES was able to provide 67,704 meals to families, 18,333 meals to seniors, and 2,680 units of bread and bakery. In addition, during the 2013 Holiday season, SAVES provided 230 Thanksgiving baskets, 280 holiday baskets and 348 toys to children.
For more information, call SAVES Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 661-267-5191.
