‘We GIVE’ Activated to Support Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Demonstrating commitment to the communities where their staff and member credit unions live and work, the California Credit Union League activated its We GIVE initiative and joined Eagle Community Credit Union on May 10 to support the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
 
Volunteers worked side by side on Saturday to make an impact, laboring together to sort food items as a team. Eight pallets of food donations were organized at the Brea, CA Post Office that will restock local food banks, providing essential support to families in need.
 
“We are honored our League employees took the opportunity to show their enthusiasm for We GIVE, and we want to thank Eagle Community Credit Union staff and its volunteers for their collaboration,” said Scott Simpson, President and CEO of the California Credit Union League. “Supporting this annual drive aligns with our industry’s ‘people helping people’ philosophy and the We GIVE mission. Stamp Out Hunger is an incredible program with an amazing local impact, allowing our staff to fight food insecurity in Orange County.”
 
Every year, the Lake Forest, CA-based credit union sponsors nearly 1 million collection bags to amplify the impact. These bags make it easy for residents to donate non-perishable food items and boost local food bank resources.
 
Part of a larger initiative organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), this year marks the 33rd anniversary of the largest one-day food drive in the United States, where NALC union members (U.S. Postal Service employees) have collected and distributed over 1.9 billion pounds of non-perishable food donations since 1993. This simple act provides support to local food agencies when supplies are often low.
 
The opportunity highlights We GIVE’s mission, reinforcing a broader commitment to financial and economic wellbeing. We GIVE stands for Goodwill Impact Volunteer Engage (GIVE), providing League staff who are based out of local offices in Ontario and Sacramento, CA the opportunity to enrich their communities through dedicated volunteer service. Launched in December 2024, this social impact program gives employees 16 hours of paid volunteer time off annually, encouraging participation in a variety of activities — including skills-based, direct service, event-based, virtual, corporate, and disaster relief support volunteering.
 
The timing of the May 10 drive is important, as local food banks and pantries typically receive the majority of donations during the winter holidays, leaving many shelves depleted by springtime. Many local school breakfast and lunch programs are unavailable to children in need. More than 44 million Americans are unsure where their next meal will come from according to NALC, including 14 million children whose health and school performance are impacted, as well as 5.5 million seniors.
 
“We are excited to see our We GIVE initiative continue to empower staff to make a difference,” said Larry Palochik, Executive Vice President of the League. “Participating in Stamp Out Hunger is a straightforward yet powerful way for our employees to combat food insecurity in their own neighborhoods. This drive embodies the spirit of community support that credit unions are built upon, and we are proud to be part of promoting such an important effort.”

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