Chilton County residents will have the chance on Saturday to help stock local food pantries’ shelves without even leaving home.

Letter carriers across the country will collect bags of non-perishable food donations from residents’ mailboxes during their regular routes Saturday morning in conjunction with the 22nd annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

“I really just think it’s important to do it because the food bank gets low throughout the year, and if we have a good food drive, they can get food from us for months to come,” Clanton Post Office letter carrier Adam Moyes said. “I just think it’s important for us to do our part.”

Moyes, who is leading the local effort this year, said more than 74 million pounds of food was collected nationally from the 2013 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, feeding about 30 million people.

Although he wasn’t sure exactly how many pounds of food local residents donated in 2013, Moyes said he hopes more people participate in this year’s drive.

All donations go to local food banks, which provide food for people in need.

Donations can be canned goods or other non-perishable, non-expired food items.

Moyes said food donations should either be placed in mailboxes, or placed in a bag and left on or near the mailbox.

“If it won’t fit in the box, they can hang it on the box to keep the carriers from having to open the door and get out,” Moyes said.

Residents should place their donations out prior to their normal morning mail delivery time May 10.

Moyes said anyone who misses the Saturday pick-up time may leave food donations at their mailboxes or bring them to the Clanton Post Office through Wednesday, May 7.

According to the NALC, 49 million Americans are unsure where their next meal is coming from.

Of those 49 million, 16 million are children whose hunger impacts their overall health and ability to perform in school, and nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many living on fixed incomes.

For more information about the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive or NALC, visit Nalc.org.