By Jessica Debbas

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- U.S. Postal Service letter carriers are working extra hard this weekend to make sure no one goes hungry this holiday season.

Local letter carriers and FOOD for Lane County teamed up for their largest winter food drive.

Organizers say it's the only drive of it's kind in the nation during the holiday season.

Letter carriers picked up bags of non-perishable food at mail boxes across Lane County, but their goal to collect 150,000 pounds of food has been a challenge.

Food bank coordinators say the decrease of giving is coming at a time where the demand is up.

"The people that are able to give are still giving but some people who have traditionally given are in a financial situation where they can't right now and so that's what makes this drive really important," said FFLC Media Relations Coordinator Dawn Marie Woodward.

Emergency food requests are up 16 percent this year.