The U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers annual Food Drive is set for Saturday and expectations are that the people of Pike County will be again generous in their giving, said, Debra Alums, postmaster at the Troy Post Office.

“Last year in Pike County, the donations of canned food items filled four canisters that were six feet high, three feet wide and four feet long,” Alums said. “That was a lot of canned food. The canned food items that are donated this year will go to the Salvation Army in Troy to be used in the local food bank.”

Alums said all post offices in the county will participate in the “Drive to End Hunger.”

Paper bags are being made available in some areas but donations may be placed in plastic grocery bags and left at the mailbox on Saturday.

Non-perishable food items such as canned meats, soups, beans, pasta, vegetables and peanut butter are suggested, along with juice, cereals and rice.

All across the nation, U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers will be collecting non-perishable food items to supply food banks which will benefit those who would otherwise go hungry or suffer from poor nutrition, especially children and the elderly.

The 18 previous USPS Employee Food Drives collected more than one billion pounds of food. The food drive in 2010 collected a record 77.1 million pounds.

In the United States, 49.1 million people live in food-insure households, which means not knowing where the next wholesome meal will come from. Of that number 17.2 million are children and 2.5 million are seniors over age 65.

Last year 4.8 million needy households received emergency food from food banks or pantries. The food that letter carriers collect builds depleted stocks during summer months when school in out and free breakfasts and lunches are not available to many children.