Saturday, May 12 marks a day when members from the Lake Orion community can help their neighbors, their children’s classmates or simply a person they pass all the time in the street.
The Lake Orion Post Office, along with post offices all around the country, is hosting the Letter Carriers Food Drive. This year’s 15th anniversary of the drive is marked with the slogan, ‘No Empty Tummies.?
According to Pamela Wilson, who is coordinating the food drive for the Lake Orion Post Office, all the food collected through this food drive will go to Oxford/Orion FISH, which directly helps needy individuals in the Lake Orion and Oxford areas. Wilson said that people going hunger is an issue in this community.
‘I see it everyday on my route,? she said. ‘I see it everyday. Families losing their homes after 19 years and four children, breaking up families, families going hungry and losing their homes. For most of them, its a very humbling thing when you have to go ask for food to feed your children.?
Wilson said that she believes the count is now up to 16 houses, on her route alone, where people are losing their homes.
‘I just worry to death when its children involved. The most needy in the area are those children that are on the lunch programs, getting those school lunches and school breakfasts,? Wilson said, noting that school will be out for summer soon. ‘They’re not going to have the help feeding their children in the morning and at lunch.?
People can help these children and their families, she said, by putting non-perishable items out by their mailboxes on May 12.
When the carriers come around to deliver the mail, they will pick up the food and bring it back to the post office where volunteers from FISH will take it to be sorted and organized.
For people that don’t feel comfortable leaving the items at their mailboxes, there is a dropbox located in the outer lobby at the Post Office. Postmaster Ted Banks also says that if you missed your carrier on the day of, call the Post Office and they will send someone out to pick up your donations. The phone number at the Lake Orion Post Office is (248)693-3253.
While they are collecting non-perishable items for the food drive, Wilson said that they also have a jar in the lobby at the Post Office to collect cash, checks and grocery gift cards.
Checks should be made payable to Oxford/Orion FISH.
The purpose of this, she says, is so to have buy gift cards so families can buy perishable food such as milk, bread and eggs.
‘If we could get every house to donate something, think of how much that could do,? Wilson added.
For those individuals that can’t donate food or money, Wilson suggests they donate some time.
For those individuals that might be interested in volunteering to help sort food, Oxford/Orion FISH can be reached at (248)693-0638.
?(This food drive) is an opportunity for the residents of Lake Orion to give back to their community,? said Banks. ‘It’s that one day of year where you can take care of your own area.?