HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Letter carriers in our area will take on an extra load by collecting nonperishable canned food items along their postal routes Saturday, May 9. This event, in its 17th year, locally benefits The Huntington Area Food Bank (HAFB).

Letter carriers need your help. Individuals with pickup trucks are needed at 8 a.m. to help rural mail carriers collect food. Volunteers are needed at Redman Bingo (1759 Adams Ave.,) to set up and assemble boxes at 8:30 a.m. and to unload and pack food at 12 p.m.

The HAFB assists food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, senior citizen programs, youth programs and residential programs that directly serve the needs of the hungry.

The HAFB member agencies are located in 17 counties throughout the Tri-State area.

All member agencies served by the HAFB are private and nonprofit.

HAFB is partnering with United Way of the River Cities to assist with volunteer recruitment activities for this important event.

Individuals interested in volunteering can register by logging on to volunteerwv.org, calling 304. 523.8929 or emailing deborah.somuano@unitedwayrivercities.org.

The HAFB is a private, nonprofit, charitable organization affiliated with Feeding America, the largest hunger relief agency in the United States. The HAFB is the hub in a network of food donors and more than 290 agencies that serve hungry people in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio.

United Way is focused on the building blocks for a better life – education, income and health.

Everyone wins when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable and when people have good health. LIVE UNITED. A credo. A mission. A goal. A constant reminder that when individuals think outside themselves, they have the power to facilitate change.

For more information about United Way contact (304) 523-8929 or log onto www.unitedwayrivercities.org.