Walnut Creek, California Letter Carrier Uses Window Art to Promote USPS, NALC Food Drive

Posted on by postal

PR note: Debbie is a very talented individual. USPS did not post a photo to showcase her artwork.

Hopes Her Pictures are Worth a Thousand Food Donations

WALNUT CREEK, CA — As an artist, Letter Carrier Debbie Gruwell knows that a picture is worth a thousand words. She is hoping that her painted windows will be worth more than a thousand food donations. By putting her artistic talents to work to raise awareness for the May 12 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, Gruwell hopes her painted windows at the Walnut Creek Post Office located at 2070 N. Broadway Walnut Creek, CA 94596 will encourage people to help feed the hungry.

According to Marguerite Baria, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 1111 Food Drive Coordinator, Gruwell is the most caring individual she knows who uses her talent to benefit others.

Gruwell has been a local food drive coordinator for two years and enjoys giving back to her community. She came up with the idea of using the Post Office windows as graphic posters to create awareness for the upcoming food drive. For the past five years, she has been painting the windows at the Walnut Creek Post Office and has received positive feedback from customers and her fellow employees.

The national Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is in its 20th year. Residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items like canned food, soup, vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 12. Letter carriers will collect all donations while on their appointed rounds and bring the food back to their Post Office for local food banks to pick up.

NALC Branch 1111, the Bay-Valley Postal District, as well as Post Offices coast to coast, will be participating in the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which is the nation’s largest one-day drive. Last year, Walnut Creek Post Office collected 16,787 pounds of food for the Contra Costa Food Bank. In addition, Greater East Bay Branch 1111’s grand total for the combined Alameda County, Alameda (city) Food Panty and the Contra Costa/Solano Food Banks was a rousing 273,484 pounds. The amount of food that was collected and distributed to local food banks and other agencies on behalf of the Postal Service and Branch 1111 that help families in need was significant.