This week, Oklahoma mail carriers will be doing more than dropping bills and birthday cards. They will be delivering plastic bags and then circling back a few days later to pick them up filled with canned goods and other pantry staples for neighbors who need a hand. It is all part of the 34th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, with bags landing in mailboxes during the week of May 4 and collections slated for Saturday, May 9. What starts as a few cans left by a mailbox often turns into a family meal within days.
Stamp Out Hunger is billed as the nation’s largest single-day food drive, operated through a partnership between the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service, according to the National Association of Letter Carriers. The effort rolls out on the second Saturday in May in communities across the country, with carriers collecting donations right along their usual mail routes.
How the Mailbox Drive Works
In Oklahoma, letter carriers will drop off branded plastic sacks the week of May 4 and return the morning of May 9 to scoop up filled bags, then haul everything back to local post offices. From there, volunteers sort the food and route it to partner food pantries, the Regional Food Bank says. Locally, the drive is presented by OG&E and American Fidelity, with sponsorship support from The Oklahoman, OU Health, CSAA-AAA Insurance, the WEOKIE Foundation and Bank of Oklahoma.
Anyone who wants to pitch in behind the scenes can also sign up to help sort donations at post offices or at the food bank’s facilities before and after collection day, according to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
Numbers That Show the Impact
Since Stamp Out Hunger began in 1992, more than 14.2 million pounds of food have been collected in Oklahoma, officials say. Last year alone, the drive provided more than 750,000 meals, according to The Oklahoman.
Those donations are spread among roughly 1,300 partner agencies across 53 counties, meaning food donated in one neighborhood typically ends up feeding people who live nearby. That steady stream of canned goods and dry staples is a key way the food bank keeps up with surging demand in lean months, local leaders say.
Why This Matters Now
The food bank notes that demand remains high after a federal funding disruption last fall that interrupted SNAP benefit issuance in many states. "By Monday or Tuesday, that is dinner for a family," Regional Food Bank CEO Stacy Dykstra told The Oklahoman, adding that the pause in benefits created an "unprecedented" level of need.
National coverage shows the USDA directed states to pause or delay some November 2025 SNAP payments during the shutdown, which increased pressure on food banks and food pantries, as Reuters reported.
How to Help
To take part, fill the provided bag with shelf-stable items such as peanut butter, canned protein, pasta and cereal, and leave it by your mailbox before your carrier arrives on Saturday, May 9. If no branded bag shows up in your box, any sturdy plastic bag works, or you can drop donations at your local post office from May 5 through May 9.
For those who prefer to help with dollars instead of cans, financial gifts also stretch far. You can text "StampOK" to 53-555 to donate or head to the event page to volunteer or give, according to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
Organizers say the beauty of Stamp Out Hunger is its simplicity: a bag in your mailbox, a carrier on their usual route and, shortly after, dinner on a neighbor’s table. When postal workers and residents team up, that low-effort routine can quietly feed an entire community.
