Andalusia letter carriers will join a nationwide effort to collect canned goods for food charities Saturday.

Andalusia Postmaster Mike Kolmetz said local letter carriers have participated every year since the drive started and has good turnout every year.

“We usually collect about 1,500 pounds of food every year,” Kolmetz said. The food is in turn donated to local food charities.

Billed as the nation’s largest one-day food drive, the event asks postal customers to leave contributions of canned goods in their mailboxes. If the food won’t fit in the box, customers are encouraged to place the food beside the box.

In addition, postal customers can drop off food contributions at the Post Office between now and Saturday, he said.

Healthy food items suggested include beans, canned tuna in water, peanut butter, soup, vegetables, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, oatmeal and other whole grains, canned fruit, canola or olive oil, and canned meats. Letter carriers request that customers do not donate items that have expired or are in glass containers.

Last year’s food drive resulted in more than 71 million pounds of food collected by Postal Service carriers nationally, feeding an estimated 30 million people.

In 2010, the national food drive surpassed the 1 billion pound mark in total food collected over its history.