NATCHEZ — City and rural mail carriers will not just be picking up letters on Saturday.

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive is an annual philanthropic event put on by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Donated foods in the area will be distributed among the Guardian Shelter, the Sunshine Shelter and the Food Pantry.

Frank Patti, local letter carrier and the food drive coordinator, said all Adams County residents need to do is place a bag of nonperishable food they would like to donate either next to their mailbox or in their mailbox.

He said the food is strictly given to shelters in Natchez, nowhere else.

“The three groups we’re giving to really need all the food they can get,” Patti said.

“We’re got rural carriers also helping us out. Anybody that’s in the county can put it by their mailbox or in their mail box and the mail carrier will pick it up.”

Last year, 8,600 pounds of food were collected and this year, the goal is 10,000.

Patti said it doesn’t take large individual donations to rack up a lot of pounds.

“If everybody gave one can, you’d be surprised at how much that would add up,” he said.

Patti said it’s important to help out in the community.

“There are a lot of people that really need help and we’re out here trying to help needy people,” Patti said.

“We like to serve everybody and take care of all the customers we can.

“We see them every day and we know what’s going on,” he said.

So it’s only natural they would want to help them.

The National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the largest one-day drive in the nation.