WHEREAS, Hunger affects millions of people nationwide, including children, seniors, and military veterans; and

WHEREAS, Food bank shelves filled from winter holiday giving are often bare in late spring; and

WHEREAS, When school meal programs end in the summertime, millions of families with school age children must find alternate sources of food; and

WHEREAS, In 2015, the National Association of Letter Carriers' "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive collected 71 million pounds of donated food, which were distributed locally in 10,000 cities and towns across America; and

WHEREAS, In Washington state in 2015, 1.7 million pounds of donated food was collected by letter carriers; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, thousands of households in Washington state will struggle to provide enough food for their families; and

WHEREAS, The National Association of Letter Carriers continues to work to end the challenges of hunger in Washington state through its 24th annual "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive; and

WHEREAS, On May 14, 2016, the second Saturday in May, letter carriers will collect food donations to be distributed to food banks and pantries at a much needed time of the year;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate support the observation of Saturday, May 14, 2016, as the National Association of Letter Carriers' "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive day in Washington state, and urge all Washingtonians to join in this special observance.

I, Hunter G. Goodman, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8723,

adopted by the Senate

March 4, 2016

HUNTER G. GOODMAN

Secretary of the Senate