Photo of Randi Schubin Dresner and Steve Caputo with “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive sign provided by Steve Caputo.
Island Harvest and our Mail Carriers are Making it Really Easy to Help!
This week, brown paper shopping bags were delivered along with the regular mail. Firefly Steve Caputo, a longtime volunteer for Island Harvest hopes you please won’t disregard it, or throw it away, but will instead fill them with food and toiletry essentials so they may be delivered to Island Harvest tomorrow.
You see, on Saturday May 9th, 2026, The National Association of Letter Carriers and Island Harvest will carry out the nation’s largest one day food drive.
It’s a real easy process. No need to go anywhere. No need to make any adjacent donations. All anyone on Long Island needs to do is place a bag of healthy non-perishable goods near their mailbox before their assigned mail carrier makes his regularly scheduled stop. A list of recommended donations can be found below. From there, Island Harvest receives the donation and distributes the food to over 300 food pantries across the island. There is no sign up. The mail carriers will be looking out at every stop to pick up any bagged non perishables
1 in 13 Long Islanders don’t know where their next meal is coming, and that number is growing. Last year over 600,000 meals were given out. According to their website, every donation comes from local and stays local.
Please be a part of this. They couldn’t make it any more convenient. Just have your bag out by the mailbox by 9AM tomorrow, or at least before the mailman comes. Thanks!
For more information, visit the Island Harvest website.
List of Recommended Donations
– Canned or Dried Beans
– Peanut Butter
– Canned Fruits & Vegetables
– Low Sodium Soups
– Canned Tuna or Chicken
– Whole Grain Pasta & White Rice
– Shelf Stable Milk
– Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruits
Household Supplies, Toiletries, & Pet Food are also welcomed. Please no Glass containers. Do check expiration dates before participating.
About Island Harvest
Island Harvest Food Bank has been leading hunger relief on Long Island since 1992. Founded in 1992, the Island Harvest Food Bank is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. We distribute fresh produce, meat and non-perishables throughout Long Island and assist thousands of Long Islanders daily through our innovative programming and network of community partners.
Grateful for Neighbors who Care
Thanks to Steve, we at the Firefly were able to deliver over 250 pounds of needed goods to people last winter. This time, folks don’t even need to come to a site like us, they just put their contribution out by their mailbox on Saturday!
Said Steve, “Fighting hunger and food insecurity is a personal passion of mine. It is hard to imagine that almost a quarter million of our Long Island neighbors are impacted by food insecurity, not being able to afford to feed themselves or their families on a regular basis. Stamp Out Hunger is one very simple way that each of us can help to alleviate that hardship. As a volunteer photographer, I have had the privilege of witnessing the formidable coordination effort that goes into receiving, sorting, repacking and distributing the Stamp Out Hunger donations. Volunteers work over several days to get this food in and out of the warehouse and into the hands of those in need.
So please fill that brown bag (and more, if you can), and be sure to leave it by your mailbox on Saturday to help Stamp Out Hunger!”
