USPS: 2011 Stamp Program Debuts
Filed under: postal, postal news, press releases, stamps, usps
WASHINGTON — From a former U.S. president to legends of Latin music to the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500-mile auto race to the garden of love, the 2011 commemorative stamp program has something for everyone.
The U.S. Postal Service today officially unveiled the images of its commemorative stamp program. Among this year’s honorees are former President Ronald Reagan, legendary author Mark Twain, award-winning actor and actress Gregory Peck and Helen Hayes, and Latin music giants Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.
In addition, former U.S. Congresswoman from Texas Barbara Jordan is the 2011 Black Heritage stamp honoree. Stamps will be issued to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the 50th anniversary of America’s first manned spaceflight and a celebration of Disney Pixar movie characters: Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars; Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille; Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story; Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up; and the robot WALL*E from Wall*E on Send a Hello stamps.
The Lunar New Year: Year of the Rabbit stamp, to be issued Jan. 22, will be a Forever Stamp for use in mailing a 1-ounce letter. Regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used in the new year, no matter how prices may change in the future, these stamps will always be equal to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Since the first Forever Stamp, featuring the Liberty Bell, was issued in April 2007, 28 billion Forever Stamps have been sold, resulting in $12.1 billion in total revenue. Now that the Postal Service offers coils, booklets and Holiday Forever Stamps, almost 85 percent of its stamp program is Forever.
In addition, new designs will be issued for Purple Heart, Wedding and Holidays stamps in 2011. Stamps may be purchased at local Post Offices, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24.
see all stamps from Beyond the Perf website
Postage Stamps, Like Shipping Supplies, Better for Mother Earth
Stamps, Stamped Products Cradle to Cradle Certified
WASHINGTON — For more than two centuries, the U.S. Postal Service has issued postage stamps and postal stationery to portray the American experience to a world audience. Now, those stamps and stamped products are Cradle to Cradle Certified CM.
Products meet Cradle to Cradle requirements when every ingredient tested is either biodegradable or recyclable, when their toxicity is 100 parts per million or less, and when company operations are powered by renewable energy and consider people and ecosystems.
“Our Cradle to Cradle products are designed to be safe and environmentally responsible,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. “In 2009, the Postal Service provided one billion eco-friendly mailing and shipping supplies to our customers. Now, 27 billion stamps and stamped products join our Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM product line.”
The Postal Service is the only mailing and shipping company worldwide to provide packaging supplies that are Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM. To achieve this designation for its stamps and stamped products, more than 175 materials used by the agency’s 58 suppliers were assessed and met requirements by MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) for:
* Impact on human and environmental health.
* Recyclability/compostability and recycled/renewable content.
In addition, the product manufacturing processes were evaluated for:
* Renewable energy use.
* Water stewardship.
* Social responsibility.
“The Postal Service is working hard to create a culture of conservation among our nearly 600,000 employees,” Pulcrano said. “Our Cradle to Cradle Certification and other green practices are widely recognized. They include our recycling and mail-back programs, green purchasing programs, and energy efficient facilities, including our green roof in New York City.”
The Postal Service’s sustainability initiatives decrease greenhouse gases and save money and resources. A number of the agency’s recent successes include:
* a 10.8 trillion reduction in British thermal units (Btu) in facility energy use since 2005.
* $400 million in savings in energy costs since 2007.
* $314 million in savings due to reduced contracted transportation fuel use.
* 10 million saved sheets of paper through Human Resources online initiatives.
* a 2-cent-per-mile cost to operate three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles.
The Postal Service has won more than 75 environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle, 10 Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Partner of the Year, Climate Action Champion, Direct Marketing Association Green Echo, and the Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year, 2009.
For more information about USPS green initiatives, visit usps.com/green and the green newsroom.
Julia de Burgos, Celebrated Poet, Honored on U.S. Stamp
Filed under: postal, postal news, press releases, stamps, usps
Press Release
SAN JUAN, PR — On the eve of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Julia de Burgos, one of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated poets, was recognized by the Postal Service today on a 44-cent stamp at the Teatro Tapia, one of the oldest drama stage buildings in the U.S. An award-winning writer and journalist, Julia de Burgos takes her place among honorees in the Postal Service’s Literary Arts series and with 75 other Hispanic-themed stamps.
“Today, the Postal Service honors Julia de Burgos, a revolutionary writer, thinker, and activist,” said Jordan Small, Postal Service area vice president, Northeast Area, during the first-day-of-issue stamp ceremony. “Dr. de Burgos wrote more than 200 poems that probe issues of love, feminism, and political and personal freedom. Her groundbreaking works urged women, minorities and the poor to defy social conventions and find their own true selves.”
Joining Small to dedicate the stamp were Byankah Sobá, journalist and master of ceremonies; Jorge Santini-Padilla mayor of San Juan; and María Consuelo Sáez Burgos, niece of Julia de Burgos.
Julia Constanza Burgos García was born on Feb. 17, 1914, in the town of Carolina, Puerto Rico. The eldest of 13 children, de Burgos grew up along the Río Grande de Loíza. She later wrote, “My childhood was all a poem in the river, and a river in the poem of my first dreams.” Although her family’s limited means made attending college difficult, de Burgos persevered and graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in 1933 with a two-year teaching degree. For the next several years, she worked at a series of teaching and journalism jobs while also publishing poems in journals and newspapers.
De Burgos’ first collection, Exact Poems to Myself, consisted of poems she wrote in 1934 and 1935. One of the poems written during this early period also became her most famous, “Río Grande de Loíza,” a love song to the river of her childhood. In another poem, de Burgos rejected the social and behavioral restrictions placed on women, forcefully proclaiming, “I am life, strength, woman.” Other poems address political themes such as equality and social justice.
De Burgos left Puerto Rico in 1940 for New York City, then moved to Cuba, where she stayed until 1942. From 1944 to 1945, she served as an editor for Pueblos Hispanos, a New York-based newspaper that promoted many progressive social and political causes including Puerto Rican independence. In 1946, she received another literary award, this time for her essay, “To Be or Not To Be Is the Motto.”
A number of de Burgos’ poems describe the loneliness and isolation she experienced in New York City, highlighting for Puerto Ricans and other immigrants the importance of community and solidarity.
From 1946 until her death in New York City in 1953, de Burgos was plagued with health problems. Friends and family ensured her final resting place was her beloved Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The stamp features a portrait of Julia de Burgos created by artist Jody Hewgill.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:
Julia de Burgos Stamp
Stamp Distribution
585 Ave. RD Roosevelt OFC
San Juan, PR 00936-9311
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Nov. 15, 2010.
How to Order First-Day Covers
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
Information Fulfillment
Dept. #6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Philatelic Products
There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
- 465961, First-Day Cover, $0.82
- 465991, Ceremony Program, $6.95
- 465993, First-Day Cover Keepsake, $9.95
To learn more about the Postal Service’s Stamp Program, visit http://beyondtheperf.com.
Mother Teresa To Be Honored On U.S. Postage Stamp
What: The U.S. Postal Service will pay tribute to Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years.
Who: James H. Bilbray, member, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service John E. Potter, postmaster general and chief executive officer, U.S. Postal Service Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio of the United States The Most Reverend Barry C. Knestout, auxiliary bishop, Washington, D.C. Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, rector, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Sister Leticia, provincial superior, Missionaries of Charity Mitzi Betman, vice president, Corporate Communications, U.S. Postal Service Thomas Blackshear II, artist, Mother Teresa stamp
When: Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010, 3:15 p.m.
Where: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Great Upper Church
400 Michigan Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20017-1566
Background: Mother Teresa, an ethnic Albanian, was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on Aug. 26, 1910, in Skopje in what is now the Republic of Macedonia. Drawn to the religious life as a young girl, she left her home at the age of 18 to serve as a Roman Catholic missionary in India. “By then I realized my vocation was towards the poor,” she later said. “From then on, I have never had the least doubt of my decision.” Having adopted the name of Sister Mary Teresa, she arrived in India in 1929 and underwent initial training in religious life at a convent in Darjeeling, north of Calcutta. Two years later, she took temporary vows as a nun before transferring to a convent in Calcutta. She became known as Mother Teresa in 1937, when she took her final vows.
The stamp features a portrait of Mother Teresa painted by award-winning artist Thomas Blackshear II of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Norton Urges USPS Stamp Committee to Honor Members Killed in 2001 Anthrax Attack
Filed under: anthrax, APWU, postal, postal news, stamps, usps
APWU Web News Article 077-2010, Aug. 3, 2010
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) urged Postmaster General Potter and the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Council to approve a commemorative postage stamp honoring the lives of two APWU members killed in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. died after being exposed to anthrax in the attack at the Brentwood Mail Processing Facility in Washington, DC in October 2001. The facility has been renamed in their honor.
“These two men, born and raised in the District, dedicated their combined 52 years of service to their country and to the United States Postal Service as committed employees,” Norton said. “A commemorative stamp not only will honor the memory of their service and sacrifice, but will also remind Americans of the work and diligence of all those who protect the American people and the homeland.”
In April, Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution (H Res. 1306) [PDF], co-sponsored by Donna Edwards (D-MD), recommending that the USPS issue a stamp honoring Curseen and Morris. The men are eligible for stamp commemoration because more than five years have passed since their deaths.
“We are pleased by the efforts to pay tribute to these dedicated postal employees, who were members of the APWU,” said union President William Burrus. “I look forward to a favorable response from the postmaster, and to a stamp in their honor in the near future.”
related link: Congresswomen Introduce Bill To Honor Two Postal Employees Who Died In Anthrax Attack
Sunday Funnies Comic Strips Debut on Stamps
COLUMBUS, OH — The U.S. Postal Service celebrated five newspaper comic strips by dedicating the Sunday Funnies stamps today. The 44-cent First-Class stamps honor comic strips: Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes. The strips, as well as their characters, may have changed over the years, yet each remains an enduring classic.
”Like stamps, comic strips often tell a story through humor, adventure, fantasy and sometimes even drama,” said U.S. Postal Service Eastern Area Vice President Megan Brennan. “Today, we are gathered to commemorate five of our country’s most beloved comic strips and dedicate an amazing stamp pane that represents a unique part of American culture.”
Brennan dedicated the stamps at The Ohio State University, home of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. Joining in the dedication were The Ohio State University Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto and The Ohio State University Libraries Director Carol Pitts Diedrichs. Special guests included Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker; Garfield creator Jim Davis; Dennis the Menace artists Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand; Archie Comics newspaper strip writer Craig Goldman; and, Calvin and Hobbes Editor Lee Salem.
Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, selected the images appearing on the stamps.
The Archie stamp features Archie sharing a chocolate shake with brunette Veronica Lodge on his right and blonde Betty Cooper on his left. Offering an idealized portrait of American adolescence, Archie existed only in comic-book form before debuting in newspapers in 1946. A typical small-town teenager with a knack for goofing things up, 17-year-old Archie Andrews is often torn between haughty Veronica and sweet Betty.
The Beetle Bailey stamp features Beetle, smiling calmly while Sarge loses his cool. A military strip with universal appeal, Beetle Bailey first appeared in September 1950. Possibly the laziest man in the army, Private Beetle Bailey is an expert at sleeping and avoiding work. His chronic indolence antagonizes Sergeant Orville P. Snorkel, who is tough on his men but calls them “my boys.”
The Calvin and Hobbes stamp captures the precocious six-year-old and his tiger pal making scary — and ridiculous — faces. Calvin and Hobbes explores the fantasy life of six-year-old Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes. The inseparable friends ponder the mysteries of the world and test the fortitude of Calvin’s parents, who never know where their son’s imagination will take him. The strip ran from November 1985 to December 1995.
The Dennis the Menace stamp features five-year-old Dennis dressed in red coveralls and striped shirt running off to some new adventure. Dennis the Menace follows the antics of Dennis Mitchell, a good-hearted but mischievous little boy who is perpetually “five-ana-half” years old. His curiosity tests the patience of his loving parents and neighbors, guaranteeing that their lives are anything but dull. The comic debuted in March 1951 as a single-panel gag.
The Garfield stamp features the crabby tabby standing back to back with Odie, a carefree, energetic dog. Garfield first waddled onto the comics page in June 1978. Self-centered and cynical, Garfield hates Mondays and loves lasagna. He lives with Jon Arbuckle, a bumbling bachelor with a fatally flawed fashion sense, and Odie, a dopey-but-devoted dog.
source: USPS
Negro Leagues Baseball Stamps Also Honors Postal Worker
KANSAS CITY, MO — The baseball league that helped spark integration of American professional sports is being honored today on a 44-cent U.S. postage stamp being issued at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. A second commemorative stamp features the league’s founder, Andrew “Rube” Foster, who is considered the “father” of Negro Leagues Baseball. In 1981, Foster was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the “foremost manager and executive” of Negro Leagues baseball.
“The United States Postal Service is honored to be dedicating two stamps today in commemoration of Negro Leagues Baseball,” said Thurgood Marshall Jr., the Postal Service’s Board of Governors vice chairman. “In 1920, the first of several black leagues of the modern era was formed right here in Kansas City. It was called the Negro National League,” Marshall noted. “With the issuance of these stamps, the rich legacy of the Negro Leagues will travel far and wide, throughout this nation.”
Vice Chairman Marshall’s remarks highlighted the legendary baseball giants who played in the Negro Leagues, including Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, James “Cool Papa” Bell and Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 and opened doors for former Negro League players and Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Larry Doby and many others.
Marshall also gave a special salute to Birmingham, AL, postal employee Cleophus Brown, who played in the Negro Leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Louisville Clippers. Brown, 76, has been a motor vehicle driver for the Postal Service for the past 30 years.
Joining Marshall and Brown to unveil the stamps were Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Gregory Baker, Stamp Artist Kadir Nelson, who designed the stamps, and former Negro leagues player Mamie “Peanut” Johnson.
“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, we are thrilled that the U.S. Postal Service has chosen to recognize and honor the men and women of the Negro Leagues who set aside the challenges of their time and empowered themselves to become the most positive examples of leadership, character, creativity and determination ever imagined in our modern day,” said Greg Baker, president, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. “In turn, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has nominated the U.S. Postal Service for a United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award to honor them for celebrating the league’s legacy.”
Working in conjunction with non-government organizations within the United Nations, and viewed as a 21st century peace prize, these awards recognize companies that are making a difference in the world through their support of local, national and international nonprofit organizations.
More on Cleophus Brown from USPS
“It’s a great honor,” said Brown. “I think the stamps are wonderful.”
Brown, an employee since 1980, works at the Birmingham, AL, Main Post Office. He played professional baseball with the Louisville Clippers and Birmingham Black Barons in 1953-1955. His fastball was once clocked at 100 mph and he was a noted hitter.
“I always loved playing baseball,” said Brown. “I kept playing the game recreationally until I was 65, but stopped pitching at 58. I could still hit, so I switched to just playing first base.”
Brown, 76, says he still meets with former Negro League players once a month to reminisce about the old days. He says the players are happy about the new stamps.
“I am thrilled about the event,” said Brown. “I enjoy baseball and I’m proud to be part of its history.”
source: USPS News Link
Congresswomen Introduce Bill To Honor Two Postal Employees Who Died In Anthrax Attack
The following is a press release from the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:
April 28, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a resolution, along with Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD-04) as an original co-sponsor, to honor the lives of Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. with a commemorative stamp issued by the United States Postal Service. Both men died in the anthrax attack at the Brentwood Post Office in the District, now named in their honor. “These two men, born and raised in the District, dedicated their combined 52 years of service to their country and to the United States Postal Service as committed employees,” Norton said. “A commemorative stamp, not only will honor the memory of their service and sacrifice, but will also remind Americans of the work and diligence of all of those who protect the American people and the homeland.” The two men, who resided in Congresswoman Donna Edwards’ congressional district, are eligible for stamp commemoration, because the five-year time period since their deaths has passed.”
Norton’s statement on the resolution is attached.
REMARKS OF
CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE
Anthrax Attack Commemorative Stamp Resolution
April 28, 2010
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today I introduce a resolution directing the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that a commemorative stamp be issued to honor the lives of Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr., the two United States Postal Service (USPS) workers, and District of Columbia natives, who died as a result of their exposure to anthrax while working at the USPS facility located at 900 Brentwood Road, NE, Washington, D.C., during the 2001 anthrax attack. This commemorative stamp meets the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee’s requirement that no postal item may be issued sooner than five years after an individual’s death.
Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. served the USPS honorably and diligently for a combined period of 52 years until their deaths on October 22, 2001, and October 21, 2001, respectively. Curseen, remembered as a quiet man with a fuzzy mustache, loved to tell stories and loved his church. He was so dedicated to his work, that during the 15 years that he worked for the USPS, he never called in sick. His co-workers described him as someone who was kind and courteous, who stayed at the Post Office seven days a week, giving up breaks to get the mail out, and who regularly led a postal worker Bible study group. In his neighborhood of Cambridge Estates, Maryland, Curseen was the president of the homeowners association, an avid jogger, and a member of St. John the Evangelist Church. To his neighbors, Curseen was someone who everyone knew, who was friendly, and who worked quietly, but “really got things done.” He helped build a playground and park in the Cambridge Estates area, even though he and his wife had no children. Although Curseen lived in Clinton, Maryland, he grew up in Southeast D.C., where Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church was his childhood parish and school. Curseen’s wife, Celestine Willingham Curseen, to whom he was married for 16 years, described her late husband as a generous, kind, hard-working man who will be greatly missed.
Thomas Morris, Jr. also grew up in the District of Columbia, although he and his family moved to Suitland, Maryland. Before joining the USPS, Morris served in the United States Air Force. Morris joined the USPC in 1973 and worked as a distribution clerk. He was a hard worker who had no aversion to working overtime, a proud husband and father of one son and two stepchildren, as well as the president of a bowling league team. To his neighbors, Morris was a quiet, thoughtful, deeply religious and humble man, who dispensed helpful, and often paternal, advice to his younger neighbors. His wife, Mary, described him as true to others and to himself, as someone who was respectful and law-abiding.
Please join me in honoring the lives of these two men, who died serving their country, and in requesting a commemorative stamp in their memory.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
10,000 Activists Call for USPS to Honor Dean Martin with Postage Stamp
Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 19, 2010 — In just a few weeks since it launched, a groundbreaking new activist effort, launched via the Facebook platform, has already swelled to over 10,000 supporters calling for the US Postal Service to issue a stamp honoring Dean Martin. (http://Facebook.com/DeanMartinStamp or http://DeanMartinStamp.com)
Launched as a shoestring effort by two brothers, George Hlinko and John Hlinko, the effort has taken off like wildfire through “word of mouse” spreading. At this point, it appears to be the largest effort by far on Facebook in support of a new stamp.
“Dean Martin was a superstar of song, film, and television – a trifecta that few entertainers have achieved,” said George Hlinko, founder of the effort. “It’s high time that the US Postal Service honor this true American icon with his own postage stamp.”
The Hlinko brothers launched the effort on February 21, 2010, via a single page on Facebook. It quickly took off, generating thousands of supporters within weeks, as well as a constant stream of fans posts praising Mr. Martin’s work, debating over favorite songs, and showing his genius through posted videos.
“I’ve been doing grassroots advocacy for years, and it’s hard to think of a person who’s generated anywhere near the enthusiasm of Dean Martin,” said John Hlinko, a netroots activist since the mid 1990’s. “The only questions I have for the US Postal Service are, one, when are you going to do this, and two, will you be able to print them fast enough to keep up with the demand?”
The two have announced plans to ramp up the effort in coming weeks, including directing supporters to lobby directly the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, the entity responsible for reviewing requests for new stamps.
About The “Dean Martin Stamp” Leadership:
George Hlinko, who came up with the idea for the effort, is a longtime fan of classic movies and music, with a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the subject that has earned him the nickname, “Rain Man” from family and friends. He has worked as a New York State Court Officer for years, and was specifically recognized for his work assisting with rescue efforts on 9/11.
John Hlinko is the head of Hlinko Consulting, a grassroots communications firm in Washington, DC. A long-time grassroots/netroots activist and innovator, Hlinko was named one of the top 5 PR professionals of the year by “PR Week,” and also One of world’s top 25, “individuals, organizations and companies that are having the greatest impact on the way the Internet is changing politics,” by the World Forum on e-Democracy.
George is an ardent Republican and John is an ardent Democrat. In addition to their Grandma Parrilli’s unmatched tomato sauce, Dean Martin is about the only thing they can agree on.
(Disclaimer: While this effort is taking advantage of the Facebook Platform®, it is in no way officially connected with or endorsed by Facebook. Further, it solely a fan-driven effort, and is in no way connected with Mr. Martin’s family, record company, or other professional affiliation)
No First-Class Postage Increase This Year But May Will Be A Very Busy Month At Post Offices
POSTAL POINTERS
May will be a very busy month at area Post Offices. The best news is that there will not be a First-Class postage increase this year! A once-ounce letter will still cost 44 cents, with additional ounces costing 17 cents. Postal cards are still priced at 28 cents.
Shelter Pet Adopt-a-thon. The Post Office will be offering a Shelter Pet Adopt-a-thon in conjunction with Lee County Domestic Animal Services on Saturday, May 1, at 5600 Banner Drive, Fort Myers. The event coincides with the Post Office’s commemorative stamps now available for purchase; the 44-cent stamps are sold in sheets of 20 cats and dogs. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with pet adoptions continuing until 3:30 p.m. Adoptions at the event will be half the regular adoption fee! A variety of activities will be offered including a children’s essay contest, a children’s craft, and face painting. All pets adopted on May 1 will be eligible to win a sheet of photo stamps (official U.S. postage) with either the pet’s image or a family photo with the new pet; a certificate of adoption will be provided along with a first day of sale postmark of one of the pet stamps. Those attending are encouraged to bring in nonperishable pet food or supplies for the Animal Services Community Pet Pantry.
National Letter Carrier Food Drive. The 18th annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive will be held on Saturday, May 8. Letter carriers throughout Lee, Collier & Charlotte counties will be collecting nonperishable food items with their regular mail deliveries. Campbell Soup Company provides reminder cards for all postal customers and Publix Supermarkets provide plastic collection bags. Customers are encouraged to place their food by the mailbox prior to the regular delivery time. Food collected will be donated to the Harry Chapin Food Bank for distribution at no cost to its participating agencies. Volunteers are needed on May 8 by both the food bank and the Post Office. Contact either the Harry Chapin Food Bank at 334-7007 or the Post Office at 573-9638.
Mailbox Improvement. Again this year the Post Office is hosting a contest for the “most improved mailbox.” Entries were due by April 30 and the winners will be announced during May, which is Mailbox Improvement Month.
Dogbite Prevention Week. Also in May, the Post Office participates in the annual observance of dog bite prevention. From nips and bites to actual attacks, violent dog behavior continues to pose a serious threat to mail carriers. Letter carriers are the third most likely group to be bitten by a dog. Each year, several thousand Postal Service employees are victimized by dogs. At this point in our nation’s history, even the comedians know that “dog bites man” is no longer a laughing matter. Most people think children and dogs go together naturally, and they often do, but it may shock you to learn that children are the most common victims of dog bites.
source: U.S. Postal Service