Letter carriers and local post offices collected about 134,000 pounds of non-perishable food items from residents Saturday, May 10, which will be distributed to Kitsap County food banks.

The collection marked the 16th annual Letter Carriers Food Drive, a national initiative and partnership between United Way of America and the National Association of Letter Carriers.

The amount of food collected May 11 is down from last year while the demand for services at local food banks has increased an average of 22 percent in one year. Across the county, food banks and pantries are seeing more and more clients. Bremerton Foodline has seen a 27 percent increase in the number of households it serves compared to last year.

“We are thankful for the generosity of Kitsap residents, this is a very important community initiative,” said Dave Foote, executive director of United Way of Kitsap County. “These numbers are not what we hoped for and indicate just how difficult it is for families to make ends meet. We need to continue to work together, that is how we are going to help the community and those in need.”