Postal food drive fills area charities' pantries

By BY AL EVERSON
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted May 20, 2008 - 9:26:52am

Although they collected far less food than the larger post offices in West Volusia, the postal workers in Pierson and Seville are feeling like winners after the 2008 Help Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive May 10.

The two tiny Northwest Volusia post offices collected 6,000 pounds of food.

“It just really pulled the community together,” said Sharon L. Denson, officer in charge of the Seville and Pierson post offices. “It’s a small community, and this is the most they’ve ever given. We just want to thank everyone for participating and for making our food drive a success.”

The Northwest Volusia donations, which filled 400 bags of about 15 pounds of food each, were given to three churches: Tabernacle of Praise and Pierson United Methodist Church in Pierson, and Seville Trinity United Methodist Church.

In DeLand, donations of canned and otherwise nonperishable food items fell short of this year’s ambitious goal, but were nevertheless impressive.

“We did awesome. We got just under 38,000 pounds,” said DeLand Postmaster Paula NeJame. “We were pleasantly surprised, because of the economy.”

The Help Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is an annual national event that enjoys the support of the U.S. Postal Service management and postal-employees’ unions.

The DeLand post office and its personnel collected 41,000 pounds of food in 2007, and had set 45,000 pounds as their goal for 2008.

“We ended up putting up a lot of food in the local pantries,” NeJame said.

The food contributed by postal patrons and collected by letter carriers was apportioned among three pantries aiding the needy in DeLand: First Assembly-DeLand, St. Peter Catholic Church and The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia.

Asked if there are any particularly generous parts of the DeLand postal area, NeJame replied, “Whisperwood is always generous, and the Trails area.”

That’s not all.

“The Arvida area is very generous, Victoria Park,” she added.

Help Stamp Out Hunger comes at a time when charities and nonprofit social-service agencies are running out — or have already run out — of the food donated during the Christmas season. For The Neighborhood Center, for example, the food drive came none too soon.

“I think the food we got will last about six months,” said Brenda Wood, program grant coordinator for The Neighborhood Center.

Other post offices in West Volusia joined in collecting food May 10:

• Deltona’s postal workers picked up 52,124 pounds of food, according to Postmaster Jeff Staker, and it was shared among Community Life, the St. Vincent DePaul Society and St. Clare Catholic Community.

• The Orange City post office collected 12,000 pounds of food, which was given to the Salvation Army, said Postmaster Frank Saultz.

“We did 10,000 pounds last year,” Saultz said.

• The Lake Helen post office received 1,000 pounds of food, which was turned over to Lake Helen United Methodist Church.

• The DeLeon Springs post office collected three postal carts full of food, which was given to DeLeon Springs United Methodist Church for distribution.

— al@beacononlinenews.com

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