Area postal carriers are gearing up for the 26th annual National Association of Letter Carriers and Rural Carriers Food Drive on May 12.

The food drive, held annually on the second Saturday in May, is part of the “Stamp Out Hunger” national effort that has been an annual event since 1993. Nationally, the drive has collected more than 1.5 billion pounds of food. Last year’s drive collected 75 million pounds.

The Smithville Post Office will again be participating in the annual food drive but this year information cards will be placed in every residential mailbox instead of bags on May 8th – 9th. The actual food pickup will be Saturday, May 12th. However, there will be a cart placed in the lobby of the post office from May 8th – 12th where you may drop off your donation.

Residents are urged to leave non-perishable food at their mailboxes for letter carriers to pick up when they deliver the mail on Saturday, May 12.

Letter carriers will be collecting non-perishable food donations for the drive from postal customers in the Smithville area as they deliver mail along their postal routes. People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods such as canned soup; canned vegetables; canned meats and fish; pasta; peanut butter; rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 12.

Carriers will bring the food to local food banks, pantries or shelters in DeKalb County.

A local observance for the National Day of Prayer will be Thursday, May 3 at noon on the east side of the DeKalb County Courthouse.

Isaac Gray, minister at the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, said everyone is invited to attend the event which is non-denominational.

“I want to invite you to come and join us on Thursday, May 3 for the observance of the National Day of Prayer. On that day, our community will gather and pray for our nation, our state, our city, our communities, and our churches. It is a great privilege for God’s people to come together with the purpose of seeking His will and His ways. This event is not sponsored by any church organization. It is simply a gathering of God’s people with the purpose of seeking His face and His glory. We will have local pastors from Smithville and surrounding areas lead us in this time of prayer. We will gather at 12 noon on Thursday, May 3 on the east side of the DeKalb County Courthouse, facing Smithville City Hall. Our rain location is the basement of the courthouse at the same time on the same day. We hope to see you there as we seek God together,” said Gray.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on the understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.

Suntex Marina Investors, LLC has acquired Hurricane Marina, located on Center Hill Lake according to a report by “Boating Industry”. With the change in ownership, Hurricane Marina received a new 25-year lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and also extended the lease of the existing restaurant tenant, Blue Water Grille.

Hurricane Marina consists of 600 wet slips (48 of which were built in 2015), 40 personal watercraft slips and 25 enclosed boathouse slips.

According to Suntex, the slip composition can accommodate boats and houseboats ranging from 20 feet to over 100 feet. The property’s amenities include a boat rental fleet of 11 boats (six newly purchased), security services, bathrooms, shower and laundry facilities, three fuel pumps and a pump-out station.

The property includes a 6,600 square-foot restaurant building, a fully-stocked ship store and a common area with patio for parties and live entertainment. A courtesy golf cart shuttle service provides customers access to the docks from the parking lot.

“We are very excited about this acquisition,” said Ron TenEyck, senior vice president of operations, Suntex Marinas. “Hurricane Marina is a beautiful location and has a great deal of potential for development. By investing in the facility, we are looking forward to enhancing the services and overall customer experience offered to visitors of Center Hill Lake.”

Hurricane Marina’s location in the deeper waters of the southern end of the lake has made it an extremely popular location for the houseboat market. The entirety of the property lies on a 107-acre (69 acres submerged) lease with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.