MORGANTOWN, W,Va. — The 33rd annual “Stamp Out Hunger” provided twice as much relief to a slightly shorter list of local food pantries.

Stamp Out Hunger is an important post-holiday event to restock food pantries.

On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” United Postal Service carrier technician and Stamp Out Hunger coordinator for the Morgantown area Justin Jarman said the number of food pantries dropped by two, but the quantity of food collected increased two-fold.

“This year we only had seven, but we were able to send them home with twice as much food as they had last year,” Jarman said. “Last year, we averaged about 2,800 pounds of food, and this year we were able to get over 7,000 pounds, so it was a very fruitful event.”

A team of about 20 volunteers led by the Mon and Preston County United Way Family Resource Network Manager, Victoria Nottingham. Jarman said there was so much food at points during the day volunteers had to make partial pickups due to the volume of food.

“That really helps because we had instances where carriers had so much food that it was hindering their delivery process,” Jarman said. “So, we were able to send out volunteers to take the food they had collected so far and take it back to the annex to sort it for the pantries.”

Jarman said the leadership in the city of Morgantown, Star City, and a long list of local companies supported and promoted the event. Kroger, Giant Eagle, and Triple S Harley Davidson made special bags for the event that carriers were able to distribute before the event to allow residents to prepare.

“Kroger, Giant Eagle, and even Triple S Harley Davidson threw bags we were able to distribute with the cards before the event so people knew what they were for,” Jarman said. “A lot of people used those bags; it was very convenient.”

Jarman said Stamp Out Hunger is a major outreach event in the community and public relations effort for postal carriers in neighborhoods. Events like these give postal carriers an opportunity to make contact and get to know the residents along their routes.

“There are instances all over the United States where postal workers are helping people and even saving lives,” Jarman said. “If you look at the data, we are the second-rated government entity behind the National Park Service, and who can compete with that?”