Special Deliverers

Sometimes the very size of an organization overshadows the individual actions of its work force. Such is the case with the Postal Service. Among the 6,400 postal workers in San Diego County is a surprisingly large group who, with little fanfare or recognition, have provided invaluable, largely unmeasurable service to the community; service far beyond the daily routine of delivering the mail.

With more than 2,000 carrier routes in the county, letter carriers also serve as the community’s daytime eyes and ears. None know this better than the elderly and the disabled, who depend more so than many, on the postman’s arrival each day.

This close relationship with customers prompted the formation of the Postal Alert program several years ago. Jointly administered by the Area Agency on Aging and the Postal Service, it provides a method of emergency contact when unusual circumstances at an elderly person’s address indicate a possible problem.

It’s hard to find a post office that doesn’t have one recent episode of a postal worker coming to the aid of a customer. Whether it’s a life-threatening emergency that requires the dousing of a fire, administering CPR to a heart attack victim or pulling an unconscious child from a swiming pool, postal workers have been there. They’ve even assisted law enforcement agencies in identifying and apprehending burglary suspects.

Recently a newly hired carrier who had stopped his Jeep to make a delivery was rear-ended by another vehicle. The Encinitas carrier was severely injured and must now learn to function while paralyzed from the arms down. With a wife due to deliver their first child within weeks, and very little medical coverage, postal employees from throughout the county independently organized fund-raisers and so far have contributed over $7,000 to the family.

I think you can see that whether it’s providing emergency assistance to the injured or elderly, nabbing a purse snatcher, or helping one of their own, postal employees do so much more than just deliver the mail.

MARGARET SELLERS

General Manager/Postmaster

San Diego Division