Your mailman wants to grab your cans this weekend...but it's for a great cause.

This Saturday, May 11, is the annual Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. That means you mailman (or mailwoman) wants to help you clean out your pantry to help others in your Central New York community that might be going through a tough time.

All you need to do is gather non-perishable food items - the top requested items are cereal, pasta, pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meals (such as soups, chili and pasta), 100% juice, peanut butter, macaroni & cheese, canned protein (tuna, chicken and turkey), beans (canned or dry) - and leave them in a bag or box by your mailbox on Saturday, May 11.

The National Association of Letter Carriers says you should "set out your non-perishable food well before your letter carrier’s normal pick-up time. The earlier the better! Note that he or she will be delivering and collecting mail as usual, on top of collecting food donations, so that pickup time could be slightly later than usual. Your letter carrier might also have helpers. A good rule of thumb is to have the bags by your mailbox by 9 a.m."

Last year, letter carriers collected to 71.6 million pounds of food nationwide. All the food collected stays local - right here in your CNY community.

Some post offices might be providing special bags - but you can put the items in any type of bag you'd like - your mail carrier will pick them up.

If you have any questions, you can contact your local post office.

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