The Nation’s Biggest One-Day Food Drive Is Stopping At Your Rochester Mailbox on Saturday

This weekend, everyone in Rochester is getting a chance to do something simple that makes a big difference...and it starts at your mailbox.

One Canned Good By Your Mailbox This Saturday Could Help Feed A Rochester Family

On Saturday, May 9th, the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive is returning to Rochester, Minnesota.  The only thing you have to do is leave a bag of nonperishable food near your mailbox.  That's everything on your end.

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Throughout the day, your mail carrier will pick up all of the donations left at the mailboxes and bring those food items to The Salvation Army's downtown food shelf on First Ave. NE in Rochester.

You don't have to drive anywhere.

You don't have to drop anything off.

Just leave a bag of nonperishable food items by your mailbox.

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Why The Stamp Out Hunger Event Matters More Than Ever Right Now

Most of the residents in Rochester have never walked through the doors of The Salvation Army - but once inside, you can see the impact that this organization is having on thousands of lives every year.

In 2025, The Salvation Army food shelf in Rochester saw a 134% increase in the number of people that it served from the year before.  5,678 people in our community were provided food thanks to this specific food shelf.

Sadly, the need is increasing and one in ten Americans are facing hunger every day.

"Our food shelf exists to make sure that people who live downtown and who don't have consistent access to vehicle transportation are still able to access a pantry for the groceries they need," - Captain Michael D. Hanton, Corps Officer of The Salvation Army Rochester

What Items Should You Donate For Stamp Out Hunger?

The easiest way to think about what to donate is to simply look around your own kitchen.  Open the pantry, look at your grocery shopping list, and see what the top items are that you use for your own family.

Those items on your list that are non-perishable are the same items that are needed by others.

Captain Mike from The Salvation Army put it simply:

"The families who utilize our food shelf have the same picky eaters, the same dietary restriction, and they love to eat the same foods we enjoy. There is no "us" and "them".

A few items that are great staples for every home that would gladly be accepted as a donation are:

• Peanut Butter
• Boxed Meals (Mac & Cheese, rice dishes)
• Breakfast cereals
• Pasta and pasta sauce
• Canned soups and canned meats
• Jars of fruit
• Kids' snacks.

Just remember, items must be nonperishable, unopened, and not expired.

About Stamp Out Hunger

Stamp Out Hunger started back in 1991 in just 10 cities.  Today, it is the largest one-day food drive in the nation and has collected over 1.82 billion pounds of food over the past 30+ years.

Do you have an event happening soon in Southeast Minnesota?

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