Letter Carriers Food Drive a Huge Success!

Volunteers at the Letter Carriers Food Drive

Thanks to the efforts of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the American Postal Workers, Organized Labor, their members and their employers, the San Diego Food Bank, and Feeding America San Diego, our food drive was successful once again.

A special thanks to our Teamster drivers Mike Witek from the Teamsters Training Trust, Steve Yarwick and Paul Maslin from YRC, Art Lum and Mason Dalo from UPS, and Duane Lockart from ABF Freight System. Without these drivers who donated their time, and the companies who donated the trucks, it would have been difficult to transport all the food from the post offices to the San Diego Food Bank.

A huge thank you to our friends Jaime Vasquez, Alvin Mitchell and Dwayne Garrett for arranging the donations of the trucks, Art Cantu and the Local 36 staff and members for running the operation at Margaret Sellers Post Office, the Ironworkers and their apprentices for running the Midway Post Office, and to Aaron Harrison from AFGE District 12 and his son Ayden who ran the whole operation at the San Diego Food Bank. We couldn’t have done it without your help!

A big thank you to all the volunteers from the following unions and their families who also came to help: Teamsters Local 36, Teamsters Local 542, Teamsters Local 683, Teamsters Local 481, Elevator Constructors, IBEW Local 465, IBEW Local 569, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 230, AFGE District 12, CWA Local 9509, Roofers, Ironworkers, Ironworkers Apprentices, Laborers, UNAC Local 1199, AFTRA, IATSE Local 122, Southwest Administrators, OPEIU Local 30, the Rock Motorcycle Ministry, and of course the Labor Council staff in Mission Valley, especially Evan McLaughlin who was there early and was the last one out. Retirees Ken Lundgren and Chuck Latimer along with many of the local labor leaders like Johnnie Simpson, Jaime, Shannon Silva, Jen Badgley and Frank Belio and activists like Arnold Gonzales and Tom Kunde also stayed until the very end. Dean Okamura from the United Labor Center brought his entire family and part of his neighborhood out to help!

A special thanks to the JOHNS who come out each year to prepare that delicious carne asada dinner with all the fixings! Without the carne asada dinner, I don’t think we would have anybody come out to volunteer. This year Steve Chadwick, Jack Gavett, Bill Stuckey, and Juan Galvan did the cooking while our own LaGrand Worthy made up all the boxed meals sent to Margret Sellers and Midway post offices.

On behalf of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the community, and all the union families who will be recipients of this wonderful food, thank you for a most successful food drive!