Woburn Mail Carriers Go Door to Door Collecting Food Donations

On Saturday, Oct. 25, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carriers in Woburn took a slightly different route than normal. Instead of delivering mail, they delivered groceries to nearby food pantries.

Woburn residents were encouraged to donate nonperishable food items for a food drive by placing the items on their doorsteps, which USPS workers collected for the Council of Social Concern on Merrimac Street.

"It's a huge deal for us," postal worker Duncan Morris said in a statement shared with CBS News Boston.

"We serve Winchester and Woburn residents, and people from any community that happens to be gluten-free. So all the food that comes in here today gets sorted. We check for expiration dates. It gets loaded on our shelves and put out for people to come in to shop for," Council of Social Concern worker Paula Matthews said to CBS News Boston.

This food drive is held twice a year in Woburn, once in May as a national donation day and again in the fall to benefit residents.

According to CBS News Boston, the food drive honors Henry Shaunessy, a former postal worker and volunteer, for his contributions to community charity work.

This year's donation comes as federal funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are due to stop on Saturday, Nov. 1, if the federal government shutdown continues into November.

"People don't realize the need. Sometimes, it could be your next-door neighbor that you don't realize could be in need of food," Matthews explained. "It's a greater need than people think. It's working families, single mothers, and the elderly. We're just here to help them."