The postal carriers in Albert Lea beat their rivals in Austin again this year in their annual food drive competition.

One of the Albert Lea organizers, Scott Pirsig, said Albert Lea collected 15,562 pounds of food, the second highest total in the 20-year history of the food drives.

“The food drive operates because of the efforts of the letter carriers, postal workers, volunteers and food shelves,” Pirsig said. “But the real success behind it are the caring individuals of Albert Lea that take the time and effort to donate.”

Austin garnered just short of 9,000 pounds.

The food drive took place May 10.

It was the 22nd year for the National Association of Letter Carriers food drive, but it was the 20th year for Albert Lea postal carriers and motor-route mail carriers to participate.

The food collected was weighed at the Albert Lea post office and went directly to the Salvation Army Food Shelf and to the Ecumenical Food Shelf at First Presbyterian Church of Albert Lea.

Albert Lea residents donated 14,241 pounds of food for the 2013 drive.

The friendly competition with Austin goes back to 2007, and Pirsig said Albert Lea has won every year except in 2011.

In 2013, postal carriers nationwide collected more than 74 million pounds of food. In the history of the drive, 1.3 billion pounds have been picked up. National results for 2014 are incomplete.