SMOKEY POINT — The Marysville, Arlington and Smokey Point post offices are gearing up for their annual Letter Carriers’ “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive on Saturday, May 9, to benefit the Marysville and Arlington community food banks.

Residents of Marysville, Arlington and Smokey Point should be on the lookout for yellow bags that will be delivered to their mailboxes no later than Friday, May 8.

Those area residents are being asked to place their non-perishable food items in those bags for mail carriers to pick up on the morning of May 9, with the Marysville Post Office collecting for the Marysville Community Food Bank, and the Arlington and Smokey Point post offices collecting for the Arlington Community Food Bank.

“This food drive is the single most important food drive of the year,” said Dell Deierling, director of the Marysville Community Food Bank. “The food bank relies on this food to get through the summer, when kids are at home and family needs are high. We’re hoping for this food drive to get strong community support, to stock up our shelves and prepare for a busy summer.”

Jerrie Inman, director of the Arlington Community Food Bank, deemed the Letter Carriers’ Food Drive the largest food drive of the year for her food bank.

“The food we receive during the holiday season just barely gets us to this food drive,” Inman said. “The food we receive in this food drive will hopefully get us through to the holidays.”

Volunteers can learn more and sign up at http://t.uwsc.org/fooddrivevolunteer.