Dear Editor,

On behalf of the Ortonville Post Office, I would like to thank the entire community for your generous donations to this year’s “Stamp out Hunger” campaign. On Saturday, May 14, we held our 24th annual food drive. Your mail carriers and volunteers picked up 8,200 pounds of food and delivered to Ortonville Community Emergency Fund. This was our first year of really trying to get the word out. I became aware that many of you have not heard of the event. So, this year we spread the word by delivering a post card and a bag with our mail and wow, what a response. In the past we have collected around 450 pounds compared to 8,200 pounds this year. I would like to thank each and every kind-hearted person who placed food out by your mailbox or brought food into our office. We had a better turnout than we could have ever expected and can’t wait to do it again next year.

I also need to thank Bueche’s for bag donations; Stacey Forth for supplying all of our employees with “Stamp out Hunger” T-shirts; Christine McCready and Lisa Harrison for their time and monetary donations which helped us purchase lawn, signs, thank you cards, plastic bags and pizza; Michele Siemon and Christine McCready for helping staple 4,500 post cards to bags; The Citizen newspaper for helping us get the word out several weeks prior to the event; and each and every one of the employees at the Ortonville Post Office for picking up those donations and helping to get them to St. Anne Church. We should all be thankful to live in such a kind, loving, caring and generous community. Be proud of yourselves Ortonville! You made a difference!

Rachelle Welch, mail carrier.