Local letter carriers top in nation for food drive donations

July 1, 2025 8

Letter carriers from Sussex and Kent counties delivered a first-place finish in the entire country for the most donations in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

Leaders from the National Association of Letter Carriers came to the USPS Rehoboth Beach Carrier Annex June 24 to present the championship trophy.

The 60 men and women at that location collected a whopping 109,868 lbs. of food for Delaware food banks, more than any of the 17 offices in the two counties, during the May 10 food drive.

The USPS collected more than 514,000 lbs. statewide, about 138,000 lbs. more than last year.

Shawn Colleran, Branch 906 president, said they set a goal they thought was unattainable. However, he said it shows what the USPS is capable of.

“I had to triple-check the numbers; I thought they were messing with me,” Colleran said. “I’ve never seen numbers like this, but we can do more.”

Vada Preston, NALC national business agent for the region that includes Delaware, put the victory in perspective.

“Baltimore branch has 3,000 members. You collected 90,000 lbs. more than the entire city of Baltimore,” he said. “Maybe more than the entire state of Virginia.”

John Workman, who delivers mail in Lewes, has been coordinating the food drive at the beach carrier annex for years.

“I had no doubt we were going to get it. I was just shocked at how much food we got. The need was out there. We were able to talk to our customers and do what we needed to do,” Workman said.