Staff and letter carriers of Newtown Post Office on Commerce Road will be participating in the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive this weekend.

Like their counterparts across the country, local letter carriers and volunteers from town will be collecting non-perishable food items and toiletries between the hours of 9:30 am and 4 pm on Saturday, May 14.

This drive is the major supplier of food to the Newtown Salvation Army Food Pantry that is located in the office of Newtown Social Services.

The top requested nonperishable food items, according to NALC, are cereal, pasta, pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meals (such as soups, chili, and pasta), 100 percent juice, peanut butter, macaroni & cheese, canned protein (tuna, chicken, and turkey), and beans (canned or dry).

Residents are asked to leave a bag of nonperishable food items by their mailbox as early as possible on the morning of May 14, and remind your neighbors to do the same. Check the cans and boxes to be sure that they are unopened and not expired.

Residents are asked to check donations for expiration dates, and to leave donations next to their mailboxes early Saturday morning for collection.

Donations can also be brought to any of the local post offices on Saturday.

Donations will help fill the shelves of the Salvation Army Food Pantry, located in Social Services in Town Hall South.

The postal food drive will coincide with the 24th annual Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Organized by NALC, Stamp Out Hunger is the largest one-day food drive in the country.

Using the postal networks, mail carriers in many cities and towns also collect nonperishable food donations on the second Saturday in May as they deliver mail along their regular routes.

NALC's Stamp Out Hunger is held in 10,000 cities and towns in a 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.

"Many people in this country struggle with hunger every day," NALC President Fredric Rolando said. "We are honored to be able to help people in need by leading an effort that brings out the best in so many Americans.

"Six days a week, letter carriers see first-hand the needs in the communities where we work, and we're committed to helping meet those needs," he added.