Most people take it for granted that they always know exactly where their next meal is coming from.

But not everyone is so fortunate.

Even in a community like Oxford where many folks live in neatly manicured subdivisions filled with spacious homes and shiny, new vehicles in driveways, there are still children, adults and senior citizens who go to bed hungry every night.

For these people, a quick trip to the grocery store, dinner at a downtown restaurant or ordering a pizza is simply not an option because they can’t afford it.

An opportunity to help the less-fortunate keep both their cupboards and bellies full is happening this weekend and all folks have to do is leave a little something next to their mailboxes.

On Saturday, May 13, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its 25th Annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive across the nation. The last 24 national food drives have collected more than 1.5 billion pounds of food.

Oxford and Addison residents are encouraged to leave canned goods and other nonperishable food items (no glass jars, please) by their mailboxes that day.

Please make sure the food is not past its expiration date and place it in sturdy, plastic bags, cloth bags or cardboard boxes.

Letter carriers from the Oxford Post Office, along with volunteers, will come by to collect these donations between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Oxford Township resident Vicky Haist, a retired letter carrier, is proud to once again be involved in Stamp Out Hunger.

“It’s just one of those things that makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something in life – like I’m doing something for the community,” said Haist, who serves as the food drive coordinator for NALC Branch 320, which consists of 12 post offices, including Oxford and Lake Orion, that serve approximately 250,000 residents.

“It’s just something that I need to do. I think I was born to do this job, to tell you the truth.”

Haist worked at the Oxford Post Office from 1984 until her retirement in October 2015. She’s been involved in the food drive since it began in the early 1990s.

Branch 320 is hoping to defend its title in this year’s drive.

“We came in first in the nation (for a branch this size) last year. We collected 260,096 pounds of food,” Haist explained. “We got a beautiful plaque from Washington D.C. That’s our goal – to see if we can keep (the top spot).”

Personally, Haist would like to see Branch 320 collect at least 10,000 pounds more this year.

All the food collected by the Oxford and Lake Orion post offices is used to stock the shelves of the Oxford-Orion food pantry.

“This is our largest food drive of the year,” said Julie Howald, who serves as pantry contact and vice president of the FISH board.

Last year, Stamp Out Hunger collected 26,371 pounds of food for FISH – 10,000 pounds from the Oxford Post Office and 16,371 pounds from the Lake Orion Post Office.

“What we get from this food drive feeds our clients for about two months,” Howald explained. “We really appreciate all the effort the letter carriers put into this. It’s their drive and they work hard to make it successful.”

Since 1973, FISH has been providing free emergency groceries to families, individuals and senior citizens who need help because they are living on low or fixed incomes, or they have simply fallen on hard times due to job loss, illness or other personal crises.

Last year, FISH distributed a total of 183,287 pounds of food to an average of 165 households (or 382 individuals) per month. The nonprofit organization serves residents of Oxford, Orion and Addison townships along with a small portion of Oakland Township.

Stamp Out Hunger helps FISH replenish its pantry for the coming summer months when kids aren’t in school and able to take advantage of the district’s meal program that provides low-income students with breakfast and lunch at reduced prices or free of charge

“Summertime is usually a busy time,” Howald said. “People need a little more food.”

Howald is encouraging folks to leave more than just vegetables by their mailboxes.

“Everyone likes to donate vegetables,” she said. “We have a lot of vegetables.”

What’s really needed is protein in the form of canned chicken, canned tuna, canned salmon, chili and stews.

“Protein is a big thing and meat is expensive,” Howald said. “You can take a can of chicken and throw it into a casserole and make a meal.”

Canned fruit is needed at the pantry as well. “That’s always popular,” Howald said.

Howald wished to remind people to make sure the food they’re donating is not past its expiration date.

“That would really help because about 25 to 30 percent is usually expired,” she said. “We don’t put anything that’s expired on our shelves.”