Letters to the editor

Help carriers battle hunger

Saturday marks the 24th anniversary of one of America’s great days of giving – the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations from our customers.

These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people who need our help. Last year, we collected over 72 million pounds of food nationally, feeding an estimated 30 million people.

Over the course of its 23-year history, the drive has collected well over 1 billion pounds of food, thanks to a postal service universal delivery network that spans the entire nation, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The need for food donations is great. Currently, 49 million Americans – 1 in 6 – are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Sixteen million are children who feel hunger’s impact on their overall health and ability to perform in school.

And nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are food insecure, with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help.

Our food drive’s time is crucial. Food banks and pantries often receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By spring, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies when many school breakfast and lunch program are not available to children in need.

Participating in this year’s Hunger Food Drive is easy. Just leave non-perishable food donations in a bag by your mailbox on Saturday, and your letter carrier will do the rest.

Let’s all join together in giving and help us in our fight to end hunger.

Randy D. Hayes

Rock Hill

How about the right to privacy?

Let me get this straight, a person can go into any gender restroom of his or her choice and no one can say a word about it because it takes away his or her “civil rights.”

I do not approve of this ruling because I believe it is indecent. When do my civil rights come into the equation?

Patricia Armstrong

Fort Mill

Fountain has been a big expense

More than $6 million and two years later, the downtown fountain leaks, the pumps do not work properly and there is an algae problem.

How much research was done to ensure the contractors knew what they were doing?

M.D. Taylor

Rock Hill

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor."