BOWDOINHAM

Organizers of a new food pantry in Bowdoinham remind residents to leave nonperishable foods for their letter carriers Saturday.

The National Association of Letter Carriers will conduct its 21st annual food drive to combat hunger, collecting non-perishable food donations as they deliver mail along their routes.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is held annually the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Last year, letter carriers collected 70.7 million pounds of food donations along their postal routes, bringing the total to 1.2 billion pounds for the the food drive, which began in 1992.

The National Association of Letter Carriers said hunger affects about 50 million people around the country, including 17 million children and 9 million senior citizens.

On Saturday, 175,000 letter carriers nationwide will collect the donations residents leave near their mail boxes, as they deliver mail.

People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing nonperishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery.

All food collected in Bowdoinham will go to the newly established formed Bowdoinham Food Pantry in the Bowdoinham Second Baptist Church, 1 Church St.,

The food pantry will officially open May 18; normal hours will be Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.