Wareham's postal workers took on an extra route Saturday, May 8, making several stops at Damien's Place food pantry during the 18th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Nearly 3,000 pounds of food was donated.

The food drive usually brings in about that much for Wareham, but the result may have been a bit less if the Wareham Center Post Office hadn't received a little help from its neighbors.

"This is the first year that the East Wareham, West Wareham, and Onset offices have participated," said United States Postal Service (USPS) Letter Carrier Mark Tower.

Tower said he thought the total volume of food was down on his route compared to past years because of the day's soggy weather and the poor economy.

But the nearly ton-and-a-half of food kept workers and volunteers very busy and was much appreciated by Damien's Place.

Residents left bags of non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes for letter carriers to scoop up when they delivered the mail. The bags were rounded up at the Wareham Center Post Office and delivered to the food pantry on Cranberry Highway.

"They've been hauling food to Damien's all day," said Wareham Post Office Supervisor Patty Groves.

The food drive is always held the weekend of Mother's Day, Groves said. "The carriers do a wonderful job. They go above and beyond."

The effort was helped by several volunteers who met carriers on their routes, took bags of food out of the trucks, and transported the donations to the Post Office to keep the trucks from getting too full.

One of those volunteers, John Dubrowski, retired from the Wareham Center Post Office six years ago. He has worked or volunteered for Stamp Out Hunger since its inception.

"I still come back to do this [because] it's fun," Dubrowski said. "It's a team effort."

Letter Carrier Michelle Langford appreciated those volunteers. "Good thing they stopped by to empty [the truck], because I don't know where I would have put [all the food]," she said as she dropped off her third load of food at the Wareham Center Post Office. "I'd have cans rolling around in the truck!"

Damien's Place receives all donations from Wareham. Pantry volunteers (working since the early morning) sorted food and checked each item for expired use-by dates and damages. After passing inspection, the items were shelved and made available for families in need.

"People are generous," said Damien's Place volunteer Rosemary Lackie. "Even in hard times."

Father Gabriel Healy, founder of Damien's Place, said he appreciated the efforts of the USPS. "It's the generosity of the people who deliver the mail," he said. "It's really wonderful."

Damien's Place Manager Paul Anesti said it would likely take days for volunteers to go through all of the donations. He was thankful for the contributions. "There's more people needing food than ever."

Damien's Place is located at 3065 Cranberry Highway and is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.

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