Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
On Saturday, May 9, members of the National Association of Letter Carriers are partnering with the San Antonio Food Bank to collect food donations. The goal for 2026 is to collect 500,000 pounds of food in one day.
San Antonio Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper said it’s the largest single one-day food drive event that occurs annually for South Texas.
“You know, we're just so humbled, so grateful for our city for donating. And then for the letter carriers doing all the heavy lifting,” said Cooper.
The partnership with the U.S. Postal Service and the NALC is intended to make it easier for people to donate. You can leave all food donations by your mailbox or on the front porch and postal workers and volunteers will pick it up. Apartment residents can leave goods on the ground by, or on top of, their consolidated mailboxes.
The local drive is part of a national effort. Each year on the second Saturday in May, Letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations that go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in need. In the course of over 30 years, the drive has collected well over 1.94 billion pounds of food, thanks to a Postal Service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"San Antonio has this rich tradition of being one of the original cities that started this nationwide food drive," said Cooper. "We're looking for non-perishable food items. Things like peanut butter, canned proteins like tuna fish, soups, chili, stews, rice, beans, and canned fruits and vegetables. Any non-perishable food item is appropriate to be donated. San Antonio always turns out."
Cooper said that at the food bank, they frequently receive calls from people with questions on how to donate.
"The letter carriers on the second Saturday will do all that work for you," said Cooper. "So, it's a really easy way for you to make a difference."