Stamping Out Hunger in Fresno's Rough Economy | ABC30 Fresno

kfsn

By ABC30

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Fresno, CA Inside the /*Poverello House*/ is a lifeline for hundreds of Fresno's homeless. Three square meals a day. "Even if you have a worry the worry seems to vanish," said John Ramirez a homeless man living in Fresno. Ramirez's friend John Yoder continued, "It's rough, but I got to survive somehow."

Every year the National Association of Letter Carriers (N.A.L.C.) organizes the '/*Stamp Out Hunger*/' food drive. It takes place in over 10,000 cities across America. The ads are everywhere and sponsor one local food pantry.

For nearly two decades news papers have been delivered to homes with collection bags inside. But these brown bags for food have been noticeably absent.

Last time the brown bags went out 252,000 pounds of food was collected. That was 2007. In 2008 only 65,000 pounds was donated.

"We got some bad information. So we didn't get them. And this year we applied for them but we were a little bit late," said Ken Nunn, the president of the local letter carriers.

Nunn is confident despite planning errors and a poor economy donations this year will fill this room at the Poverello house.

"In 2007, the food went to the top of the rafters," exclaimed Poverello Executive Director Kathryn Weakland.

Weakland said in the past, excess food was sent to other charities and the local community food bank. Now Weakland fears there will not be enough donations to make it half way through Summer. "We got to get the word out and I don't know if it's a little too late," she said.

Any brown bag will do. On Saturday, place all non-perishables where the postal worker picks up the mail.