Postal worker food drive is today

Postal workers are collecting non-perishable food today as part of an national effort to fight hunger.

The annual food drive supports Minnesota-based Second Harvest Heartland. Organizers are asking people to put non-perishable foods in or near a mailbox for postal carriers to collect.

Second Harvest Heartland officials said demand for food shelves is up significantly right now because of the economy. They also said it's especially important to stock food shelves right now to prepare for the summer, when many children don't receive subsidized meals at school.

Last year postal carriers in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area collected nearly 1 million pounds of food. This year's goal is 1.2 million pounds of food collected.

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