Outside at the Northampton Survival Center
265 Prospect Street
Northampton, MA 01060

Saturday, May 13, 2023
10 AM – 4 PM 

To get a flavor of the bustle of POFD day, check out the great video to the left by Cheri Cross who captured the 2014 POFD so beautifully.

 

 

A huge thank you to everyone who made our 2023 Post Office Food Drive a huge success with over 20,000 pounds of food collected! Stay tuned for more information on next year’s event!


We’re thrilled to be once again hosting the annual Post Office Food Drive (POFD) for the first time since 2019! The POFD is an event held on the second Saturday in May that the National Association of Letter Carriers organizes across the country. This year the POFD is happening on Saturday, May 13, 2023. The Northampton Survival Center is the grateful recipient of the food collected in Northampton, Florence, and Leeds. In previous years, the Center has received as much as 20,000 pounds of food or more on a single day!

Volunteer

This year, we’ll be hosing the drive outside our building at 265 Prospect Street. Tents and storage pods will be set up so that volunteers can work in the fresh air and food can be safely sorted and stored until we’re ready to use it indoors. Since we’re running a much bigger program since the start of the pandemic, there’s not enough room inside the building to contain all the people and food needed to pull off this massive one-day effort.

A successful food drive requires many dedicated volunteers. In the week before the drive, dozens of volunteers help distribute bags throughout the Northampton communities. On the day of the event, volunteers help us starting at 10 AM by unloading, sorting, weighing, and stocking food into storage. We schedule volunteers in two-hour shifts throughout the day. Families with older children are welcome to volunteer together. If you are interested in volunteering, please click here to send Diane an email.

Donate food

If you live in Northampton, Florence, or Leeds, please keep an eye out for your bag that volunteers will deliver to your home in the week before the food drive. Suggested items for donating are canned beans, fruit, vegetable, and soup; tuna; cereal; rice; pasta; powdered milk; spaghetti sauce and canned tomatoes; macaroni and cheese; and peanut butter. Please be mindful of expiration dates. Personal care items such as shampoo, soap, and toothpaste, etc. are also welcome.

Donate funds

If it’s not possible for you to make a food donation, or you prefer the ease of making a financial donation, we welcome your support! Please visit https://www.northamptonsurvival.org/makeagift to make a gift online, or send a check to the Northampton Survival Center at 265 Prospect Street, Northampton, MA 01060. Thank you!