On Saturday, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and Campbell Soup Co. ask customers to help Dowagiac Post Office Stamp Out Hunger.

Now in its 21st year, the annual food drive has grown from a regional to a national effort that provides assistance to millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table.

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive on the second Saturday in May has become the nation’s largest single-day food drive.

In 2012, Americans generously donated 70 million pounds of food, which marked the ninth straight year letter carriers collected at least 70 million pounds.

Locally, the post office picked up 6,800 pounds, which was down from previous efforts, which is why they hope to bounce back to 10,000 pounds which will be distributed to local organizations, such as ACTION, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

“We’re asking residents for their support to make this year the most successful in the drive’s history,” Postmaster Leah Sovine said. “It’s so easy to make a donation. Simply leave a bag of non-perishable food items by your mailbox to help neighbors in need. That’s all it takes.”

Need for food assistance exists in every community in America — no matter how rich or poor.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 50 million Americans are food insecure, meaning they live at risk of hunger.

Perhaps most alarming is the fact that nearly 17 million children in America are struggling with hunger.

To participate in the 13th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive in Dowagiac, residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday.

Letter carriers, followed by volunteers with trucks, collect these donations as mail is delivered, sort them at the post office and deliver them to local food banks.

Campbell Soup Co. and its partners produce post cards delivered to more than 75 million homes across the country as a reminder to participate.

Red-and-white signs promoting the drive have sprouted all over town like spring flowers.