Although 24,000 pounds of food may sound like a lot, Tim Lipp, who manages the pantry of the Rapid City Food Bank, said it won't last long.

"In the month of April alone, we gave out 35,000 pounds," he said.

Lipp is looking forward to the National Association of Letter Carriers annual "Stamp out Hunger" food drive, the largest one-day food drive in the United States, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 10. That is the day that letter carriers nationwide will not only deliver the mail but will pick up bags of food to be donated to local food banks.

"It helps tremendously," Lipp said. "The effort is certainly well appreciated."

Lipp said the food bank is seeing a 25 percent increase in the number of individuals seeking emergency food assistance - a direct result of rising gas prices, which have also driven up the price of food.

"Many local families are feeling the crunch," he said. "Last week, 25 percent of the people who visited the food bank had never been there before."

Kim Galloway of the Rapid City post office is the local chairwoman of the event this year, the 15th year for the local letter carriers. She said their goal this year is 24,000 pounds - 12 tons of food.

"We are once again asking people to leave their donations by their mailboxes," Galloway said.

"Nonperishable items such as canned goods, toiletries, diapers and dry goods are welcome, and we're also accepting checks made out to Community Food Banks of South Dakota," she said, adding that for each dollar donated, the food bank can buy 15 pounds of food. Donations can also be taken directly to the food bank or the Rapid City post office.

Galloway said that when the mail trucks are full, there will be designated drop-off points for the carriers throughout town, and off-duty employees and family members will also help out. "It makes for a pretty long day, but it runs quite smoothly for us," Galloway said.

To be eligible for food from the food bank, people must be referred there. According to Lipp, most referrals are made by the Department of Social Services.

Items such as canned meats, canned fruit, cereal, Hamburger Helper and macaroni and cheese are always in demand at the food bank, according to Lipp. He said donations are welcome anytime, with private individuals and grocery stores such as Safeway and Family Thrift Center regularly helping to keep the shelves stocked.

"Stores like west-side Safeway and Nash Finch give us something every day, like breads or pastries, for example," he said. "The local businesses are very generous."

Galloway said that she never stops being amazed by the generosity of the community, even when it is becoming harder for the average family to make ends meet.

"It seems like the neighborhoods that struggle the most tend to give the most," she said. "People always seem to pull together."

How to give:

The food drive will be Saturday, May 10.

Leave bags of nonperishable food by your mailbox, including at "clusterboxes."

Others can drop off food at the downtown post office, 500 East Blvd. (use the back entrance) or the Rapid City Food Bank, 814 N. Maple Avenue.