Letter: Help Stamp Out Hunger by setting out a bag of food

To the Editor:

The National Association of Letter Carriers is holding its 20th annual Stamp Out Hunger Drive this Saturday. They need all of us to pitch in and give what we can to help families who don’t know when their next meal may be.

Hunger is a problem. It has been with us always, but more people are going hungry in 2012 than in previous years.

Letter carriers can’t solve the problem on their own, the food shelf and the United Way cannot nor can Health and Human Services staff solve hunger.

Hunger is too vast, too deep with too many root causes for any single organization to be able to “fix” it alone. We must work together.

Like many of you, I would like to go to sleep each night knowing every child in my community, state and country has had a nutritious meal. Like parents and citizens of the 1950s who wanted to know that polio was not lurking like a monster under their child’s bed, we must attack the childhood hunger monster with the same ferocity, the same intensity.

Working together, businesses, schools, government, non-profits, churches and organizations will have to make it our mission to end childhood hunger.

What can one person do? Do what you like to do, but do it around hunger.

Like to write? Write letters to elected officials asking them to join our battle against hunger.

Like to talk? Talk and make presentations to civic groups about the importance of ending childhood hunger.

Like to cook? Share your knowledge of food preparation by teaching a class to those who would like to learn how to make their food dollars go further.

Like to hang out on social media? Use email, Facebook and Twitter to remind people of events like Stamp Out Hunger.

Like garage sales? Hold one with the profits donated to programs that are working to end hunger.

Start by leaving a bag of food for your letter carrier to pick up this weekend. Both Red Wing and Lake City letter carriers have signed on. Join the battle. Let’s work to end childhood hunger in our midst.

Maureen Nelson

Red Wing

Maureen Nelson is executive director of United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha & Pierce Counties.

Tags: letters, opinion