MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Post Office is gearing up for its annual Letter Carriers Food Drive on Saturday, May 12, to benefit the Marysville Community Food Bank.

Rather than blue bags, Marysville residents should be on the lookout for yellow bags that will be delivered to their mailboxes by May 12.

According to Marysville Community Food Bank Director Dell Deierling, this drive has a heightened importance this year, since the number of visits to the food bank is up 8 percent from where it was at this time last year.

“Ideally, I’d like to see the amount of donations meet the level achieved in 2009, which was 40,000 pounds,” said Deierling, who’s seen a decline in donations of 20 percent each year over the past two years.

Deierling nonetheless expressed his faith in the community, noting that the food bank received more than 95,000 pounds of food during the final quarter of last year, which allowed them to stock their shelves through the winter holidays and the spring.

Deierling deemed the Letter Carriers Food Drive essential for covering the summer period when kids are at home and family needs are high.