This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.thedailytimes.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.

---

Article published May 14, 2009
Smaller communities step up to support postal food drive
By Rheta Murry
Of The Daily Times Staff
Leaders of the "Help Stamp Out Hunger" campaign, sponsored by the nation's postal carriers on Saturday, indicated the event was an overwhelming success in Blount County.

"We got more food than we've ever gotten," said Horace Brown, director of Chilhowee Baptist Center. "We received close to 6,000 pounds of food from Alcoa, Friendsville and Rockford."

Brown said he had not expected to receive the food from the smaller cities.

Frank Rutherford, vice president of Community Food Connection, called the drive "one of the most successful food drives we have had. We picked up about 49,000 pounds of food."The Food Connection reportedly received food from all 50 Maryville postal routes. Food picked up by Townsend and Walland were taken to the Maryville post office.

The Saturday event was part of the national "Help Stamp Out Hunger" campaign sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, Campbell's Soup, United Way of America and America's Second Harvest.

Neither Rutherford nor Brown was surprised about the amount of food collected, mostly because Blount County residents "are really coming through for the people in need," Rutherford said.

Both food pantries report feeding many more people now than ever before, primarily because of the poor economy.

"We have had a greater demand in the last six or eight months, but yet our contributions have remained more than what we have had before," Brown said.

---