MAHONING VALLEY Letter carriers' food drive nets 145,000 pounds

YOUNGSTOWN -- One area organization will put 145,000 pounds worth of food and related products on the shelves of local food banks.
Donations to the National Association of Letter Carriers' food drive totaled 145,000 pounds, an increase of 17,000 pounds from last year's 128,000-pound total, the coordinator of the food drive said.
The NALC's food drive brought in a variety of products, ranging from canned goods to cereal to paper products.
John Dyce, recording secretary for the branch and food drive coordinator for the past 10 years, attributed this year's increase to heightened public awareness of the food drive and its purpose.
"We had pretty good media coverage this year, with print, TV and radio," Dyce said. "The overall economy is down and more people are aware that more people in this area need help, and fortunately they were able to donate."
The food will be distributed to Second Harvest Foodbank, St. Vincent DePaul Society, the Salvation Army and Gleaners Food Bank.
Though Dyce said this year's increase was nice, he also said the totals tend to fluctuate from year to year.
"We try not to look at the totals," Dyce said. "The totals are not important because there are still a number of people in need. We're happy we can help people in the area who are in need of assistance."