IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)- Before the Community Food Basket of Idaho Falls can Stamp Out Hunger, it’s got to clamp down on getting the word out. The food basket is preparing for one of it’s biggest food drives of the year. This week, volunteers are gathering for what is being called a stapling party.
Community members are being invited to help staple postcards for the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive to grocery bags. The national food drive will be on Saturday May 9th. By stapling the grocery bags to the post cards, executive director Ariel Jackson hopes this will serve as a stronger reminder.
“If you just get a postcard, you might throw it away. You might think it was junk mail or something of that, that nature.”
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is the second biggest food drive of the year for the Community Food Basket. It helps them stock up for the summer months, when demand increases.
“Kids are eating at home and food bills tend to triple,” explains Jackson. “This food drive allows us to stock up for when kids are home and out of school and parents are working.”
Jackson says the extra man power by holding the stapling party makes the job much easier.
“I have been doing this for 15 years, and it used to just be my husband and I at home folding and stapling, and folding and stapling. But we realized we needed 44,000 little cards with bags on them. It was just something we could not do on our own. We thought, let’s invite the community.”
The stapling party is being held this week at the food basket warehouse at 1895 N. Blvd in Idaho Falls from 5 pm to 7 pm. There is one more chance for people to come help out Thursday night, April 30.
Jackson invites anyone who wants to help to come out.
“We have the staplers, we have the staples, we have the bags. We just need the people.”
