Idaho Postal Workers Dyeing Their Hair Blue To "Stamp Out Hunger"

Postal workers in Idaho are dyeing their hair blue in an effort to raise awareness about the upcoming Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. On Saturday, May 12th postal workers across the country will collect bags of donated food while they deliver mail on their regular routes. 

Candace Lincoln, who helped spearhead the effort for the Boise chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), told Yahoo! Lifestyle that she loves being stopped by residents and explaining why her hair is the signature color of the United States Postal Service. 

“I love it when people ask, ‘Why is your hair blue?’ It gives me the perfect opportunity to explain it."

Members of the Boise NALC said they decided to dye their hair after Postmaster Dan Corra committed to coloring his hair blue if they hit their goal of collecting 175,000 pounds of food in 2016. They surpassed their goal, and just before the 2017 food drive, he followed through and turned his hair blue. Last year, some members wore blue wigs in solidarity with Corra, but this year they decided to go all out.

Lincoln said that it is a long and exhausting day, "but it is absolutely worth it," adding that the generosity of people "brings a tear to my eyes." 

“By the end of the day, your back is hurting; it’s an exhausting day, but it is absolutely worth it,” Lincoln says. “It almost brings a tear to my eyes to see how much people care, and how much people want to help. We’ve all been, or will be, or know somebody that has fallen in the cracks. I know I have, and that’s why I have so much passion for it.”

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has collected over one billion pounds of food in the last 25 years.