Weather Is (Almost) Cooperative As Branch 258 Completes 2018 Food Drive
Based on past experience, volunteers and carriers have become used to, and in some cases grown to expect, food drive day to be a rainy day. While the rain did eventually come again this year, mother nature was polite enough to wait until the very end, as showers did not arrive until approximately 5:30 PM. For the 27th annual food drive event on May 12, carriers and volunteers collected an estimated 40,000 pounds of food for the Greater Berks Food Bank, which will again help people from all across Berks County. A big thank you is once again in order for all of the carriers and volunteers, in every part of the process from collecting food, to trucking it to the food bank, to sorting and packing. As branch president Ranalli stated earlier in the day, we gave families the opportunity to choose paying for other bills in addition to, not instead of eating. Greater Berks Food Bank directer Peg Bianca also cited an example of a recent senior citizen applicant who will now be able to have food on her table despite a monthly income of $207. Again, thank you to all participants who made this special, once a year event possible. To view a Reading Eagle newspaper article covering the food drive, click here.
2017 Food Drive Nets an Estimated 40,000 Pounds for Berks Food Bank
Over the years, letter carriers have accepted the reality of performing their duties in every kind of weather. However, the letter carriers in significant parts of the country, including Branch 258 territory, deserve an extra thank you for both performing their duties, and also participating in the NALC food drive on a dreary day with often steady and heavy rain. This was the case for the 25th annual food drive event on May 13, as carriers and volunteers collected an estimated 40,000 pounds of food for the Greater Berks Food Bank, which will again help people from all across Berks County. Local Chairman Paul Purcell was able to coordinate a seamless effort involving food bank personnel, media, volunteers, management, and carriers - all of whom played a part in another successful campaign. All persons involved are appreciated for their efforts, and we look forward to an even more successful event next year.
Branch 258 Carriers Again Active in a Successful 2014 Food Drive
A big thank you goes out to all of the carriers in Branch 258 for their efforts in the 2014 NALC Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Approximately 52,000 pounds of food was collected and processed to the Greater Berks food bank to help families in our local area. Thank yous also go out to the many volunteers who helped to coordinate the event, package food donations, and transport collections from location to location, to the rural carriers who chose to participate, and to postal management for use of facilities. While total collections were not on a par with the record totals of last year, our event continues to be the largest supplier of the year for the Food Bank. We hope to again increase donations next year by distributing the paper food collection bags, which seemed to facilitate much more total donations. In order to do this, we will need to acquire sponsors to make the bags available for 2015. If anyone has a lead on a potential sponsor, please let a shop steward or board member know so that we can follow up on your leads. Thank you once again to all participants, and enjoy the pics!
Congratulations and Thank You to Branch 258 On Another Successful Food Drive
Branch 258 once again demonstrated their commitment to the community by participating in the annual NALC food drive. On May 11, carriers from the branch collected approximately 101,000 thousand pounds of food, which was donated to the Greater Berks Food Bank, and will be distributed to those in need over the next several months. We want to thank the carriers for their hard work collecting food, our customers for their generosity, and all of the organizations who donated time and materials to make the success of the day possible. Enjoys the slide show below, and those who have pictures that they would like to submit for the site, please pass them along!
Preparations Set As Food Drive Approaches
As previously announced, the annual NALC food drive is slated for this Saturday, May 11. This event is not only a vital service to our community, but is also among the most visible opportunity for goodwill and public pride for letter carriers across the nation. As in the past 2 years, we have secured paper bags for carriers to deliver as mail to all customers, who will be able to use them to donate their canned foodstuffs. Use of these bags has proven to greatly increase the amount of food collected. Branch 258 will again arrange for workers to patrol all of the zones to aid carriers in collecting and loading food, which will then be transported the Reading carrier annex to be sorted and packaged for the food bank. Refreshments will be available to anyone who would like to come out and help during the day or after their shift. As preparations near completion, we look forward to another huge collection that will benefit the Greater Berks Food Bank for months to come.
The 2013 NALC food drive will be held on Saturday, May 11 , 2013, and we at branch 258 are looking forward to another year of collecting major contributions from our generous customers to benefit the Greater Berks Food Bank. As proclaimed by NALC president Frederic Rolando: "What we see on our routes drives us to do what we can to help millions of Americans get the food their families so desperately need, and I once again call on every active and retired NALC member to get started now to prepare to make this coming drive another successful one."
Look for more branch - specific announcements as this year's food drive date approaches.
Look for more branch - specific announcements as this year's food drive date approaches.
