Letter Carrier Food Drive Collects Donations

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Volunteers boxed up hundreds of pounds of food for the spring Letter Carriers Food Drive.

Residents could leave non-perishable food items next to their mailbox for the postal carrier to pick up during his or her rounds. The donations were taken to 107 Main St., where they were boxed and up

The spring event is sponsored by National Association of Letter Carriers Local 286 and coordinated with Berkshire Community Action Council  North.

Marie Harpin of BCAC North said the group had to scramble to find new place to package the food because work is being done at the North Adams Armory, the usual location. David Carver donated use of 107 Main (which is getting a lot of use as a community site lately) and Big Y donated cardboard boxes for packaging.

Donations will be taken to community food pantries.

Update: Harpin told us Monday that the final tally was 7,000 pounds, a good number although not as much as the more recent record of 8,100. Harpin put it down to the lingering fiscal troubles that are forcing so many to pinch pennies.

Volunteers and postal workers haul food donations from a mail truck to the packaging site at 107 Main. An errant Toyota parked in the 'no parking' spot messed up the delivery somewhat, forcing the mail trucks to double park.