Mail carriers will be collecting canned goods Saturday in the 17th annual National Association of Letter Carriers' Food Drive.

Residents should place nonperishable food items next to their mailbox for pickup before their usual mail pickup time. Postal employees and their families will sort the food and deliver it to the Hawaii Foodbank. Post offices without residential delivery will accept items through this week.

“;Our goal is to top the results of last year's Food Drive. But to do so we need everyone to mention this drive to their friends, family and neighbors. Explain to them that donating just one canned good can make a difference in the life of a child, and donating a small bag of rice and a few more canned goods can feed an entire family. Tell them to help us 'Stamp Out Hunger'!”; said Adele Yoshikawa, food drive spokesperson.

Last year, about 1,000 mail carriers locally collected a record 630,000 pounds of food items, a release said. The Mililani Post Office contributed the highest amount—more than 58,000 pounds.

Items in greatest demand are canned meats, pastas, soups, pork and beans, and fruits and vegetables. Packaged dry beans, pasta, rice and cereal are also needed. Healthier canned items, such as tuna instead of Spam and Vienna sausages, are being requested.

Some 240,000 mail carriers will take part in the nation's largest one-day effort to combat hunger, a release said. More than 73 million pounds were collected nationwide last year.