Letter carriers to pick up canned food donations

     Review-Journal
      The eighth annual Letter Carrier Food Drive is happening Saturday.
      More than one thousand postal service letter carriers will pick up nonperishable canned food items when they deliver mail around the Las Vegas Valley, officials said. Anyone wishing to donate should leave cans near the mailbox for the carrier to collect.
      May 10 has been designated nationwide as Letter Carrier Food Drive Day, said Julie Bryant, spokeswoman for the National Association of Letter Carriers.
      The Clark County Commission had a small ceremony Tuesday where commissioners announced the official day, Bryant said.
      The association, in conjunction with United Way and the Culinary union is sponsoring the drive.
      Last year volunteers collected 215,000 pounds of food that was donated to the Community Food Bank.
      Bryant said the effort originated in Las Vegas and expanded nationally six years ago. Last year, 45 million pounds of food were collected nationwide, the same as the total for 1995.
      The 215,000-pound total reached in Las Vegas last year surpassed 1995 numbers by 45,000 pounds, Bryant said.
      In addition to the Community Bank, donations will be given to the Salvation Army this year, Bryant said.
      "During the holidays people always think about donating, but now is when the food banks are completely empty and through the summer there is very little food. So we do our drive to fill up the banks until Thanksgiving," Bryant said.