All donations stay local
By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — Saturday is one of the busiest days of the year for postal carriers and the Lake Orion Postal workers are doing their part to help Stamp Out Hunger.
The annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive is May 10 and residents can help out their neighbors by leaving any amount of nonperishable food items by their mailbox so local postal carriers can swoop by to pick them up.
The carrier and post office does the rest: sorting the food and delivering it to local food banks in the community.
Orion residents who donate can be assured that their donations are helping people in the community – donations go to Oxford/Orion FISH, which serves people in Oxford, Orion, Addison and Oakland townships.
The Lake Orion Post Office, 611 N. Axford St., also has a drop box in the lobby if residents want to stop by in-person throughout the week. The post office accepts food donations throughout the year to take to FISH
Postal workers will also be at the post office on Saturday if residents want to drop off donations in-person instead of leaving them by their mailboxes.
The food drive, which is put on by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), takes place on the second Saturday of May every year and is the largest single-day food drive in the nation, spanning 10,000 cities and townships.
In the last 30 years, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive has collected and delivered more than 1.82 billion pounds of food nationwide to people in need.
While any donation is appreciated, Oxford/Orion FISH does have a “Wish List” on its website: canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, peas, tomatoes, chili, Chunky soup, Hamburger Helper, baked beans, beef stew and cake mix.
People are also asked to verify expiration dates. If donated food is expired it can’t be put on the FISH pantry shelves.
After postal carriers bring all the bounty back to the post office, volunteer drivers shuttle the food to FISH’s headquarters, 1060 S. Lapeer Rd. in Oxford Twp., and more volunteers begin sorting through items. FISH is also looking for volunteers on Saturday. There is a Sign-up Genius link on the website.
Monetary donations can also be mailed to Oxford/Orion FISH, P.O. Box 732 Lake Orion, MI 48361, or made online at oxfordorionfish.org.
Oxford/Orion FISH provides emergency aid in the form of food and agency referrals to individuals in Oxford, Lake Orion, Addison and Oakland townships. Anyone who has a need for groceries can call our office at 248.628.3933.
In 2024, Oxford/Orion FISH 239,040 pounds of food, helping 6,155 individuals, according to Oxford/Orion FISH.
FISH also assists people with personal hygiene items, shampoo/conditioner, shaving cream and razors, as well as basic staples such as cereal, eggs, milk, meat, bread, soup, beverages, snack treats, garbage bags, Kleenex, and more.
Oxford/Orion FISH is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is 100% staffed by volunteers.