Albert Lea letter carriers hope to at least match record-setting results in 2017.

The Albert Lea branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers, along with rural carriers, will participate in the association’s food drive May 12.

The drive comes after Albert Lea letter carriers raised a record 19,800 pounds last year. The amount bested the amount raised by Austin residents by 750 pounds — 19,050.

City and rural carriers will collect non-perishable food items left by mailboxes during normal mail delivery hours. The collected food will be weighed at the Albert Lea post office and immediately released to Albert Lea food shelves for distribution.

Nationally, the 2017 food drive collected 75 million pounds of nonperishable food. Almost 1.6 billion pounds of food has reportedly been collected over the last 25 years.

Food drive coordinator Scott Pirsig said all community members can be involved in the project and said “it is really a win for everybody.”

“It’s just an effort that’s a collaborative effort between everyone in the community,” he said.

Pirsig said food collected stays in the Albert Lea community and is distributed between the Salvation Army, the Ecumenical Food Pantry at First Presbyterian Church and has been distributed to the Loaves and Fishes Program at St. Theodore Catholic Church.

“There’s always a need,” Pirsig said.

Postcard reminders will be sent the week of the food drive.

Albert Lea and Austin letter carriers have participated in the friendly competition since 2007. Albert Lea has reportedly won every year except 2011 and 2016.