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In this May 2022 file photo, bargain hunters browse through the compact disc section at the annual Big Book Sale for the Friends of the Lancaster Public Library. The sale, which will be May 22-24 this year at the former Bon Ton building at Park City Center, needs volunteers.

 SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF FILE PHOTO

The postal service and local libraries play important roles in our communities, providing access to all kinds of information and connection to people near and far.

Letter carriers deliver our mail day in and day out, and later this month they will carry out a food drive that benefits families and individuals in our area.

The need for emergency food support is growing quickly, and the food drive will strengthen available support.

The Lancaster Public Library serves over 300,000 children, teens, adults and older adults each year, and community fundraising plays an important role supporting the library’s services and programs.

I’d like to highlight the upcoming Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive that is powered by our local letter carriers, and Big Book Sale, which is a fundraiser for the Lancaster Public Library. Both rely on volunteers and need your support.

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

The National Association of Letter Carriers holds the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on the second Saturday in May, and it is the largest annual food drive in the country. This year’s food drive is Saturday, May 13, and there are two ways the community can give support.

The first way is to leave a bag of nonperishable food items by your mailbox, and your local letter carrier will collect the donation for delivery to a local food bank.

Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County is a main recipient of the food items donated in the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, and they ensure that food donations go where they are needed throughout Lancaster County.

The second way to support the food drive is to volunteer at Community Action Partnership’s food distribution warehouse to help sort the donations.

Food donation sorting volunteers

Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County is looking for volunteers to help sort nonperishable food donations from the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive at their food distribution warehouse from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13. Volunteers will work with CAP staff to sort and box up donations for distribution to partner food pantries around Lancaster County.

For more information, please visit tinyurl.com/StampFoodDrive or contact David DeVries at ddevries@caplanc.org or 717-293-0187, ext. 3351.

Big Book Sale

The Friends of Lancaster Public Library are looking for community volunteers to help at their upcoming Big Book Sale. The book sale raises funds to support the Lancaster Public Library’s mission to provide free library services to the Lancaster community.

This year is the book sale’s 68th year, and it is happening from Monday, May 22, to Wednesday, May 24, at Park City Center, in the former Bon-Ton building. Volunteers are especially needed to assist with setup and cleanup.

Book sale setup volunteers

Setup for the Big Book Sale is on Sunday, May 21, and the most help is needed between 12:30 and 4 p.m. Volunteers will be unpacking boxes of books and displaying them on tables. Volunteers of all experience levels are welcome. After all the books are unpacked, volunteers who help for at least a few hours may purchase up to $100 of books.

For more information, please visit tinyurl.com/BigBookSetup.

Book sale cleanup volunteers

Cleanup for the Big Book Sale is on Wednesday, May 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. Volunteers will help remove everything from the facility. A major part of cleanup is gathering up unsold books and removing signs and tables. This is physical work. The more volunteers who help, the faster the cleanup gets done.

For more information, please visit tinyurl.com/BigBookCleanup.

Find more volunteer opportunities

Visit the United Way of Lancaster County’s Get Connected volunteer portal at uwlanc.galaxydigital.com. At the site you’ll find a variety of volunteer needs from around the county, including direct service, skills-based service, and nonprofit board service, and you’ll be able to sign up for updates as new needs are submitted.

Joel Janisewski is director of the volunteer center and community listening for United Way of Lancaster County.

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