ARDMORE, OKLA -- Letter carriers with the U.S. Postal Service visit your home just about every day. But in a little less than two weeks, they'll be coming by your place to pick up more than just mail. May 8th marks the annual Letter Carriers Food Drive. Shelby Levins reports.

The House of Prayer gives out more than 450,000 pounds of food each year to people who don't have enough to eat.

"On a weekly basis, we average about 350 families,” Pastor Larry Murray with House of Prayer explained.

Many of the people who rely on the canned foods are elderly couples.

"We have several who tell us - we have very limited income, of course all fixed, and they have a choice, they can buy either the medications that the need or they can buy food,” Pastor Murray said.

Pastor Murray says he's also seeing more young families - victims of layoffs who are now having trouble keeping their pantries full.

But in order to feed those in need, these shelves must stay stocked.

One of the largest food drives to fill these shelves - and food pantries across the area - is being carried out by your local letter carriers.

"They just have to put the cans in the sack, we bring them a sack, it has the date on it and everything. They don't have to leave the house, they just put it in the sack, hang it on the mail box or on the porch and we pick it up,” Shawn Westbrook, an Ardmore letter carrier, explained.

Food donations need to be left next to your mail box by 7 AM Saturday, May 8th.

Next week in preparation for the Letter Carriers Food Drive, postal workers will be delivers the bags with instructions.

"The face of hunger is not that man standing on the corner holding up a sign saying 'will work for food.' It's the people that live on our route - it's that single mother, the elderly couple trying to figure out whether or not they can buy their medicine or have enough money to buy food,” Steve Riggs, Letter Carriers Food Drive of Southern Oklahoma Co-Chair, said.

All the food collected in the Ardmore area will stay within the local community through partner agencies like House of Prayer.

"If you can't give a full sack - just one can - anything would be appreciated," Pastor Murray said.

The Letter Carriers Food Drive will also be going on in Bryan, Garvin, Murray and Pontotoc County.

For more information, click here - http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/