Stamp Out Hunger drive on May 13 to aid New Braunfels' SOS Food Bank

Times are tough for people struggling to feed their families.

But SOS Food Bank hopes that a big food drive this weekend will help stock the pantry shelves for those in need.

SOS Food Bank in New Braunfels hopes to fill these empty shelves this week through the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Residents are encouraged to leave donations of non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes Saturday morning to be collected by mail carriers. Items most needed are canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese and cereal.

Sandy Buck, board president of SOS Food Bank, said that the group "does what we can" to help the community.

"I can't stand to think of somebody being hungry," Buck said.

The Spirit of Sharing (SOS) Food Bank at 248 W. Merriweather Street helps feed people in New Braunfels and Comal County.

The food bank is staffed by nearly 400 volunteers from local churches and the Kiwanis Club.

Residents can help out by participating in the annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger food drive on Saturday, May 13.

Jackie Schneider of SOS Food Bank prepares for their upcoming food drive Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at SOS in New Braunfels. The National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger food drive encourages residents to leave donations of non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes Saturday morning to be collected by mail carriers. This years' local donations will benefit SOS Food Bank.

Locals will receive bright yellow plastic bags in their mailbox this week.

Participants can fill those bags with non-perishable food items and place them by the mailbox on Saturday to be picked up by local mail carriers.

The mail carriers will then deliver the donations to SOS Food Bank.

"If you miss the pickup, you can always drop it off to our location here," Buck said. "We’re here most weekday afternoons."

Rising costs of groceries and other household expenses are straining family budgets nationwide.

Earlier this year, the federal government ended extra assistance for food provided to low-income people since the beginning of the pandemic.

Those issues are trickling down to the local community, said Jackie Schneider, the board vice president at SOS Food Bank.

More than 17,000 people in Comal County are considered food insecure, according to Feeding America.

SOS typically serves about 10 families in an afternoon.

SOS Food Bank in New Braunfels hopes to fill these empty shelves this week through the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Residents are encouraged to leave donations of non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes Saturday morning to be collected by mail carriers. Items most needed are canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese and cereal.

One day this week, that number doubled.

"We run out of food every day," Schneider said. "So I’m constantly running to Walmart to buy food. It's not been easy to keep food on the shelves."

The food bank served 200 families, or about 730 individuals, in April.

Buck and Schneider are eager to fill up the storage room and serve more families.

Schneider recommends participants place their bags next to the mailbox in the morning before the mail carriers arrive.

One year, the Stamp Out Hunger event collected 20,000 pounds of donations for the food bank.

Some of the most-needed items this year are canned vegetables and other canned goods, cereal, soups, and macaroni and cheese.

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