Tag Archives: post office

Day 262: Postmaster General Megan Brennan

This is my third letter to U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan. I also wrote to her on Day 51 and Day 135. For an organization whose passion is mail – I can’t say that I’m impressed with their ability to respond to mail sent to them. I never received any responses from my two previous letters and I probably wont receive one to this one either – and frankly I don’t care. I’d just be happy if she or someone on her team responds to Gary Minter.

Gary is the man who I wrote to on Day 260. I was touched by his open letter to the USPS that was published in Street Sense about the challenges he faces due to his housing status. It’s my hope that Gary gets a thoughtful responses from someone at the Post Office.

Day 262

Postmaster General Brennan,

Enclosed you will find an open letter that was published in Street Sense from a friend of mine experiencing homelessness. I don’t think Gary was able to send this letter directly to you but I trust that you will share it with the appropriate person on your staff who can reply. I can attest that these and similar challenges are things that those experiencing homelessness deal with every day.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Reed Sandridge

Day 260: Gary Minter

In a recent issue of Street Sense, I came across an open letter to the U.S. Post Office from a man named Gary Minter. He’s struggled with housing and doesn’t have a permanent address. Even using shelters and other agencies to receive mail for him causes challenges. Gary decided to write the post office and ask for their help to fix problems that anyone dealing with homelessness faces.

He has a “general delivery” address in Las Vegas where he is living right now – he used to be here in Washington, DC. I hope my letter gets to him.

Day260

Dear Gary,

I read your open letter in Street Sense about the unique challenges that you and other men and women experiencing homelessness face. In essence you are being discriminated against because you don’t have a permanent address.

I’m sure a solution to these issues exists, but will take time. Thank you for speaking out and trying to improve the system. Your letter has inspired me to cut your letter out of the paper and mail it to Megan Brennan, the Postmaster General.

I hope that Las Vegas is treating you well.

Good luck to you,
Reed Sandridge

P.S. Here are a few dollars – hopefully it helps.

 

Day 250: Michael Raymer

Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 12.19.30 AM

photo: inquisitr.com

Last week I heard about a touching story of a mail carrier in Glendale, AZ who left his customers handwritten notes (one of them is shown here) informing them that he was retiring at the end of the month and telling them how much he enjoyed getting to know them over the years.

You can check out the story for yourself here.

Day250-2

Michael,

Today is Labor Day and I thought it would be fitting to drop you a note – you’ve certainly worked hard throughout your career and deserve a day off. Thank you for both your military and civil service to our country.

I created a custom card for Michael

I created a custom card for Michael

I read about your handwritten note to your mail customers – that was very thoughtful. I particularly appreciated it because not only did I grow up next door to a postal carrier, but I also am a big fan of handwritten correspondence.

Do you have any special stories you would be willing to share about your work as a mail carrier. I imagine over the past 20 yrs you must have had some good ones!

Best of luck in your retirement!
Reed Sandridge

 

Sunday Notes & Letters


This past week I received two handwritten letters. One of them from Michelle who I wrote to on Day 58 and the other one from Myra who I will write this week – maybe tomorrow!

Most of the time we think of handwritten letters in a very positive light. They often unfold people’s true feelings of happiness, love and admiration. But not all handwritten letters are so pleasant.

murdermysteries.com

murdermysteries.com

Eighty-three years ago today a crime was committed in Hopewell, NJ that would be dubbed “the crime of the century.” Sometime between 8-10pm on Tuesday, March 1st, 1932, the twenty-month-old son of famed pilot Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from the family home.  The cute dimpled boy with curly blond hair and striking blue eyes vanished out of the Lindbergh’s second story home.

Ransom note:  Dear Sir! Have 50.000$ redy 25 000$ in 20$ bills 15000$ in 10$ bills and 10000$ in 5$ bills After 2-4 days we will inform you were to deliver the mony. We warn you for making anyding public or for notify the Police The child is in gut care. Indication for all letters are Singnature (Symbol to right) and three hohls.

Ransom note:
Dear Sir!
Have 50.000$ redy 25 000$ in 20$ bills 15000$ in 10$ bills and 10000$ in 5$ bills After 2-4 days we will inform you were to deliver
the mony.
We warn you for making
anyding public or for notify the Police The child is in gut care.
Indication for all letters are
Singnature (Symbol to right) and three hohls.

Ransom notes were issued and the Lindberghs paid $50,000 in marked currency. Sadly Little Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. was not returned to his family and was found dead six weeks later on a roadside by a passing truck driver. Police did arrest a man, Bruno Hauptmann, who was convicted and later electrocuted in Trenton State Prison on April 3, 1936.

Charles Lindbergh at the controls of one of the planes that flew American airmail in the first years after the service's inception. (fiddlersgreen.net)

Charles Lindbergh at the controls of one of the planes that flew American airmail in the first years after the service’s inception. (fiddlersgreen.net)

Most people know Charles Lindberg Sr. for his historic solo nonstop transatlantic flight. But before making history, Lindbergh was a U.S. Mail pilot, carrying handwritten letters in his planes across the midwest. I read that he bailed out twice from his mail plane and parachuted to safety only to land and immediately go to locate the wreckage in order to save the letters that were onboard. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” – Maybe they ought to add plane crashes to that list!