By Jordan Gerard, Albert Lea Tribune

It will be Austin letter carriers versus Albert Lea letter carriers on Saturday.

Mail carriers from Austin and Albert Lea will compete in a friendly competition Saturday when the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association holds an annual drive to collect nonperishable food items.

To donate, residents simply need to leave out food by 9 a.m. Saturday for mail carriers to pick up.

On Saturday, letter carriers will pick up donated food items. Though it’s mainly a food drive, personal care items will also be accepted.

For the last few years, Austin and Albert Lea carriers have competed in a friendly competition to help boost donations.

Last week, Austin Mayor Tom Stiehm challenged Austin’s letter carriers against Albert Lea’s carriers and Albert Lea Mayor Vern Rasmussen Jr. to a friendly food drive competition in a proclamation.

Austin food drive coordinator Bob Rosel said it has been a fun and friendly competition for the last 10 or 11 years. The letter carriers in Austin have been doing the food drive for the last 23 years. The benefits of the food drive will be local and go to the Salvation Army.

“I do think for all the fun we make of it, it has actually helped increase donations,” Rosel said. “I do think some of the citizens do take the challenge as a friendly competition and maybe put a few more cans in their box. It’s fun for us and we were doing it unofficially, anyways.”

Stiehm said he appreciates the mail carriers’ efforts.

This is the 22nd year for the Albert Lea letter carriers to participate.

Albert Lea food drive coordinator Scott Pirsig said last year the Albert Lea carriers collected 14,014 pounds.

In the past, rural communities have also participated in the drive, and Rosel urged people to check with their post office to find out.

All donations stay in the community and in Albert Lea go to the Salvation Army or the Ecumenical Food Pantry.

Austin’s mail carriers collected their most food in 2009 with more than 15,000 pounds, and they collected more than 13,000 pounds last year. Mail carriers have collected more than 200,000 pounds over the last 22 years.

Albert Lea has surpassed Austin every year since the friendly competition started in 2007 except for 2011.