Residents in Chilton County will have the opportunity to participate in a food drive May 9 to help stock local food pantries.

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 23rd annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

“Last year, we had a really good response from the community,” Clanton Post Office letter carrier Adam Moyes said.

Moyes said in 2014, close to 5,000 pounds of food was collected in Chilton County.

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

Some of the food was donated to Through The Grace of God Ministries and some of the food went to the Chilton County Emergency Assistance Center in Clanton.

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

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

If it rains, Moyes recommends all residents place the food items in bags to prevent being damaged by rain or attracting ants.

Residents should place their donations out prior to their normal morning mail delivery time May 9.

Anyone who misses the May 9 pick-up time may bring food donations to the Clanton Post Office by May 16.

“We are hoping to have a lot more people participate this year,” Moyes said.

According to the NALC, hunger affects about 49 million people around the country, including millions of children and senior citizens. And one in four households with a member currently serving in the U.S. military turns to a food bank for food assistance.

Moyes said individuals could find more information about the food drive on Facebook under the name “Stamp Out Hunger.”