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![Letter carriers at the end of a busy day, at the annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive" held nationwide May 9 and benefitting locally the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO). Seated is retired letter carrier James "Jim" Brophy, who for years was involved in organizing the event locally and sports a T-shirt from a drive more than 10 years ago.
"This is one of the hardest days of the year [to be a letter carrier] but it makes you smile," said Terry Franklin, left, who has taken over the organizational responsibilities once handled by Brophy. "We can't do it without all the ECHO volunters."
Also pictured are, from left, Bill Kinnard, a post office maintenance engineer, and letter carriers Myron Thomas, Lorraine Hass, and Cary Allmon.](http://www.mypapernow.com/Other/The-2009-Stamp-Out-Hunger-Food/i-5TxN6jw/1/Ti/DSC_0447-Ti.jpg "Letter carriers at the end of a busy day, at the annual \"Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive\" held nationwide May 9 and benefitting locally the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO). Seated is retired letter carrier James \"Jim\" Brophy, who for years was involved in organizing the event locally and sports a T-shirt from a drive more than 10 years ago.
\"This is one of the hardest days of the year [to be a letter carrier] but it makes you smile,\" said Terry Franklin, left, who has taken over the organizational responsibilities once handled by Brophy. \"We can't do it without all the ECHO volunters.\"
Also pictured are, from left, Bill Kinnard, a post office maintenance engineer, and letter carriers Myron Thomas, Lorraine Hass, and Cary Allmon.")
!["Every year we learn something more to make it [the "Stamp Out Hunger" postal food drive and sorting at ECHO] better, quicker, faster," said letter carrier and drive organizer Terry Franklin, right. With him are, from left, postal service employees Bill Kinnard, Cary Allmon, and Tim Horst, a student at Central Baptist.](http://www.mypapernow.com/Other/The-2009-Stamp-Out-Hunger-Food/i-93VKZCS/1/Ti/DSC_0458-Ti.jpg "\"Every year we learn something more to make it [the \"Stamp Out Hunger\" postal food drive and sorting at ECHO] better, quicker, faster,\" said letter carrier and drive organizer Terry Franklin, right. With him are, from left, postal service employees Bill Kinnard, Cary Allmon, and Tim Horst, a student at Central Baptist.")
!["Obviously, we couldn't begin to process any of it if we didn't have the strong turnout of volunteers," said Paul Uravich, a food drive organizer and retired chief of police from the University of South Florida. "I'm surprised the letter carriers can keep up with this load of food. After they work all day [on their postal routes] they'll come back and [make deliveries for the food drive]."](http://www.mypapernow.com/Other/The-2009-Stamp-Out-Hunger-Food/i-pGW356z/2/Ti/DSC_0359-Ti.jpg "\"Obviously, we couldn't begin to process any of it if we didn't have the strong turnout of volunteers,\" said Paul Uravich, a food drive organizer and retired chief of police from the University of South Florida. \"I'm surprised the letter carriers can keep up with this load of food. After they work all day [on their postal routes] they'll come back and [make deliveries for the food drive].\"")
Before this year's "Stamp Out Hunger" postal food drive, Stacey Efaw, center, reported that the Emergency Care Help Organization she oversees in Brandon at 507 North Parsons Avenue, was down to just 10 boxes of food. The cupboard is no longer bare!
More than 100,000 pounds of food was again collected at this year's annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive," held nationwide May 9 to stock local food pantries, such as ECHO, where people in emergency situations can get help with their basic food, clothing, toiletry, and household furnishing needs.
"This is Brandon at its finest," said Don Pate, right, who every year counts the number of cartons filled with food that arrive at ECHO on the second Saturday of May, the day on which the food drive is held.
"We started here in Brandon in 1999 and we got almost 800 pounds of food," said James "Jim" Brophy, left, a retired letter carrier who for years coordinated the local drive. "Back in that first year we thought that was rocking. Now we collect well over 100,000 pounds of food."
The annual food drive is run by the National Letter Carriers Association in conjunction with the United States Postal Service. Letter carriers during their normal mail deliveries pick up the non-perishable food items left in bags and placed at mailboxes. Those collections arrive at the post offices and from there letter carriers and other community volunteers transport the items to places such as ECHO.
This year, as in past years, ECHO received collections from the Brandon, Bloomingdale, Dover, Riverview, and Valrico post offices.
Related Coverage:
More than 100,000 pounds of food was again collected at this year's annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive," held nationwide May 9 to stock local food pantries, such as ECHO, where people in emergency situations can get help with their basic food, clothing, toiletry, and household furnishing needs.
"This is Brandon at its finest," said Don Pate, right, who every year counts the number of cartons filled with food that arrive at ECHO on the second Saturday of May, the day on which the food drive is held.
"We started here in Brandon in 1999 and we got almost 800 pounds of food," said James "Jim" Brophy, left, a retired letter carrier who for years coordinated the local drive. "Back in that first year we thought that was rocking. Now we collect well over 100,000 pounds of food."
The annual food drive is run by the National Letter Carriers Association in conjunction with the United States Postal Service. Letter carriers during their normal mail deliveries pick up the non-perishable food items left in bags and placed at mailboxes. Those collections arrive at the post offices and from there letter carriers and other community volunteers transport the items to places such as ECHO.
This year, as in past years, ECHO received collections from the Brandon, Bloomingdale, Dover, Riverview, and Valrico post offices.
Related Coverage:
- The 2010 Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive at ECHO
- The 2008 Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive at ECHO
Emergency Care Help Organization she oversees in Brandon at 507 North Parsons Avenue, was down to just 10 boxes of food. The cupboard is no longer bare!
More than 100,000 pounds of food was again collected at this year's annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive," held nationwide May 9 to stock local food pantries, such as ECHO, where people in emergency situations can get help with their basic food, clothing, toiletry, and household furnishing needs.
"This is Brandon at its finest," said Don Pate, right, who every year counts the number of cartons filled with food that arrive at ECHO on the second Saturday of May, the day on which the food drive is held.
"We started here in Brandon in 1999 and we got almost 800 pounds of food," said James "Jim" Brophy, left, a retired letter carrier who for years coordinated the local drive. "Back in that first year we thought that was rocking. Now we collect well over 100,000 pounds of food."
The annual food drive is run by the National Letter Carriers Association in conjunction with the United States Postal Service. Letter carriers during their normal mail deliveries pick up the non-perishable food items left in bags and placed at mailboxes. Those collections arrive at the post offices and from there letter carriers and other community volunteers transport the items to places such as ECHO.
This year, as in past years, ECHO received collections from the Brandon, Bloomingdale, Dover, Riverview, and Valrico post offices.
Related Coverage:
- The 2010 Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive at ECHO
- The 2008 Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive at ECHO
Before this year's "Stamp Out Hunger" postal food drive, Stacey Efaw, center, reported that the Emergency Care Help Organization she oversees in Brandon at 507 North Parsons Avenue, was down to just 10 boxes of food. The cupboard is no longer bare!
More than 100,000 pounds of food was again collected at this year's annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive," held nationwide May 9 to stock local food pantries, such as ECHO, where people in emergency situations can get help with their basic food, clothing, toiletry, and household furnishing needs.
"This is Brandon at its finest," said Don Pate, right, who every year counts the number of cartons filled with food that arrive at ECHO on the second Saturday of May, the day on which the food drive is held.
"We started here in Brandon in 1999 and we got almost 800 pounds of food," said James "Jim" Brophy, left, a retired letter carrier who for years coordinated the local drive. "Back in that first year we thought that was rocking. Now we collect well over 100,000 pounds of food."
The annual food drive is run by the National Letter Carriers Association in conjunction with the United States Postal Service. Letter carriers during their normal mail deliveries pick up the non-perishable food items left in bags and placed at mailboxes. Those collections arrive at the post offices and from there letter carriers and other community volunteers transport the items to places such as ECHO.
This year, as in past years, ECHO received collections from the Brandon, Bloomingdale, Dover, Riverview, and Valrico post offices.
Related Coverage:
More than 100,000 pounds of food was again collected at this year's annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive," held nationwide May 9 to stock local food pantries, such as ECHO, where people in emergency situations can get help with their basic food, clothing, toiletry, and household furnishing needs.
"This is Brandon at its finest," said Don Pate, right, who every year counts the number of cartons filled with food that arrive at ECHO on the second Saturday of May, the day on which the food drive is held.
"We started here in Brandon in 1999 and we got almost 800 pounds of food," said James "Jim" Brophy, left, a retired letter carrier who for years coordinated the local drive. "Back in that first year we thought that was rocking. Now we collect well over 100,000 pounds of food."
The annual food drive is run by the National Letter Carriers Association in conjunction with the United States Postal Service. Letter carriers during their normal mail deliveries pick up the non-perishable food items left in bags and placed at mailboxes. Those collections arrive at the post offices and from there letter carriers and other community volunteers transport the items to places such as ECHO.
This year, as in past years, ECHO received collections from the Brandon, Bloomingdale, Dover, Riverview, and Valrico post offices.
Related Coverage:
- The 2010 Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive at ECHO
- The 2008 Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive at ECHO
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