Hunger isn’t a seasonal issue. Many residents think about donating food and funds to help families in need around the holidays, but that need is no less important at other times of the year — especially as we near the end of the school year when many families have to replace school lunches — and often breakfasts — with meals at home.

On Saturday, local residents will have a couple of opportunities to provide a helping hand with food donations. Local postal workers not only will deliver your mail this Saturday, but they also hope to pick up some donated food to support the Stamp Out Hunger event. Last year, the event sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers collected 25,000 pounds of food for Just Food of Lawrence.

Jeremy Farmer, executive director of Just Food, says he hopes to double that amount this year. Lawrence residents should have received information about the food drive in their mailboxes by now, but the instructions are simple. All you have to do is fill a bag with non-perishable food (whole grain pasta, brown rice, canned fruit, canned tuna or peanut butter are good choices) and leave it in your mailbox on Saturday. Your postal delivery person will pick it up and deliver it to Just Food.

If you miss the mail/food pickup — or even if you don’t — you’ll have another opportunity to donate food at the Kansas Food Truck Festival that runs from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lawrence Warehouse Arts District in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Street. Tickets to the event can be purchased at the festival’s Facebook page or at the event. Tickets purchased at the event will cost $12, but the price goes down to $10 with a food donation.

Of course, food donations to Just Food are welcome anytime, as are monetary gifts that can be made through the organization’s website: justfoodfund.org.

Having enough food for themselves and their families is an ongoing concern for many Lawrence residents. Saturday’s events are a great opportunity for the community to reach out and help ease that concern.