Gearing up for a hungry summer, Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes and the Powell Post Office are asking the community to pitch in to drive out hunger.

The food drive, or perhaps more precisely, the food bag drive, is Saturday, May 14.

Powell Post Office postal carriers will bring the bags, said Cindy Balderas, Loaves and Fishes treasurer.

The bags and cards will be delivered in the Powell Post Office’s delivery area, including rural locations and Clark Wednesday, said Krista Schoening, Powell Post Office officer in charge. “Every residential customer should have a bag or card.”   

There has been, and are, lots of hungry mouths to feed.

“We’ve had a draw in the pantry since the beginning of May,” Balderas said. And, with the end of the school year just around the corner, more youngsters will be home needing food.

The pantry needs canned soup, canned vegetables (no home canned goods), canned meats such as tuna and Spam, pasta such as ravioli or macaroni and cheese. Boxed cereal is also welcomed, Balderas said.

During the summer, many contributors on vacation forget to contribute, Balderas said. “Our donations are kind of sporadic during the summer months.”

Loaves and Fishes provides coupons for groceries such as eggs and milk, Balderas said.

For folks heading out of town for the weekend, they can leave their bags out prior to Saturday’s drive. “We pick up on Saturday, but if we see something before (then) we will pick it up Thursday or Friday too,” Schoening said.

Another option is dropping off non-perishable items in the post office lobby, Schoening added.

Powell Post Office is a much-welcomed partner in the drive. Balderas said she knows Saturday will be a long day for carriers shouldering more work collecting the bags. “They do a fabulous job for us,” Balderas said. 

Powell postal employees come in on their days off and bring family members to help. Loaves and Fishes lends a hand too, Schoening said. “We have plenty of volunteers so it’s actually a good thing.”

The city carriers union organized the post office food drive in 1993. Since then more than 1.4 billion pounds of non-perishable food has been collected nationwide, Schoening said. “That helps so many communities, not just Powell.”

Powell’s record is 9,800 pounds in 2013. Last year 5,600 pounds were collected, Schoening said. “Ten thousand pounds this year. That’s our goal.”

City carrier union president and Powell carrier Calvin Johnston organizes the post office drive.

Volunteers get hungry too.

On Saturday, Mike Jones, manager of the Domino’s in Powell, will donate pizza to keep volunteers nourished, Schoening said.

If money is tight, don’t feel obligated to donate.

“We love it if they do,” Schoening said. “We totally understand if they don’t.”

Loaves and Fishes will schedule its annual food drive in October, Balderas said.

Monetary donations are also welcomed, Balderas said. Mail checks to Loaves and Fishes, P.O. Box 992, Powell, WY 82435.

Witnessing the community’s generosity is heartwarming. “It’s really nice to see that outpouring,” Schoening said.