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Rural Carrier Hero: Paula Gainey, Rocky Point, NC

Rocky Point, NC, Rural Carrier Paula Gainey was recently delivering mail to an older customer’s home when she heard the resident calling out for help.  Gainey pulled over and soon discovered the woman lying on the ground in the backyard.  The customer was in excruciating pain after a fall, and she feared that she’d broken … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Anthony Alexander, Hayden, AL

Rural Carrier Anthony Alexander recently had a package for a customer in Hayden, AL. As Alexander approached the man’s home, he came out to meet the Postal Service employee and fell down the front steps. Alexander tried to help the customer get up, but the man urged him to call 911 instead. As they waited … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Jason Francis, Scott Depot, WV

Rural Carrier Jason Francis was delivering mail recently in Scott Depot, WV, when he encountered a distressed woman in the middle of the road. She flagged him down and asked him to help a man in her car who was unresponsive following an overdose. While the woman called 911, Francis parked his vehicle and assessed … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Christene Wiggins, Princeton, NC

Rural Carrier Christene Wiggins was delivering mail recently in Princeton, NC, when she encountered an older customer in an unusual predicament: He was trapped in a tractor. Wiggins attempted to free the distressed man, whose leg had somehow gotten wedged near the clutch as he was getting on the piece of farm equipment, but she … Read more

Rural Carrier Heroes in Gilbert, AZ, Croswell, MI, and Oakwood, OH

Lorean Andrews In Gilbert, AZ, Lorean Andrews discovered a man stranded on the floor of his home after his wheelchair tipped over. She called 911 for the customer, who had been stuck overnight and was cold and numb, and comforted him until emergency responders arrived. Myron Harland In Croswell, MI, Myron Harland had parcels for … Read more

Rural Carrier Heroes: Jeffrey Jones, McKinney, TX , Jared Hess, West Linn, OR

An alert Postal Service employee recently saved three children and their grandmother from a fire that threatened a McKinney, TX, home. Rural Carrier Associate Jeffrey Jones was delivering a parcel when he spotted flames spreading quickly in the bushes in front of the residence. Jones could see the kids inside, but no one answered the … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Lois Shumaker, Dillwyn, VA

In Dillwyn, VA, Rural Carrier Lois Shumaker checked on a 95-year-old customer whose mail was piling up. When the woman answered the door, she was distraught, complaining of chest pains and other symptoms. Shumaker calmed the customer, called 911 and the woman’s daughter, and stayed with her until emergency responders arrived and took her to … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Jakyric Driver, Center, TX 

A Postal Service employee in Center, TX, recently helped a 4-year-old girl who was stranded alone at a bus stop on a rainy day. Rural Carrier Associate Jakyric Driver was delivering mail when he saw the girl, who was expecting to go to a relative’s house after school but found that no one was there … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Darryl Plowman, Duncansville, PA

Rural Carrier Darryl Plowman was delivering mail recently in Duncansville, PA, when he noticed a car blocking a mailbox he needed to access. As he pulled over to investigate, Plowman realized that the vehicle in question was running, and he soon saw that the driver was slumped over. Finding the woman unresponsive when he knocked … Read more

Rural Carrier RCA Heroes: Heather Solce, Sandpoint, ID; Michelle Winkley-Creamer and Amy Mcleod, Waldoboro, ME

Residents of a Sandpoint, ID, neighborhood were grateful that Rural Carrier Associate Heather Solce spotted a house fire while delivering mail and called 911.Although firefighters couldn’t save the structure, which was unoccupied at the time, “the neighbors praised Heather for a quick response that prevented damage to other homes,” said local Postmaster Barbara Puckett. Source: … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Stacy Chamberlain, Gays Mills, WI

Rural Carrier Stacy Chamberlain was delivering mail recently in Gays Mills, WI, when he spotted an older customer who’d fallen down an embankment near her home. He pulled over and rushed to help the woman. He was joined by her son, who came running from the family’s barn when he saw Chamberlain. The woman told … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Sheldon Baker, Joplin, MO

An older Postal Service customer in Joplin, MO, who had recently returned home after being hospitalized told his companion he would be OK by himself while she ran an errand. Yet that was not the case for the ailing man, who fell in the garage, losing his cane and glasses. He managed to drag himself … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Evalynne Hoppe, Winnebago, MN

Winnebago, MN, Rural Carrier Evalynne Hoppe was concerned that a customer’s mail had piled up over several days, and she alerted the local Post Office. Authorities checked on the man, who had died. “Without Evalynne’s vigilance, he would have remained there for an extended period, as he apparently had no family or friends checking on … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Michelle Taylor, Vincent, OH

Rural Carrier Associate Michelle Taylor detected a fire at a residence in Vincent, OH. She alerted her supervisor, who contacted firefighters, and banged on the front door. Getting no response, Taylor went to the house next door to see if anyone could locate the property owner, who turned out to be there at the time … Read more

Rural Carrier Hero: Denise Martel-Bastien, Londonderry, NH

Rural Carrier Denise Martel-Bastien pulled into a Londonderry, NH, condominium complex recently when she saw a worrisome sight: a toddler alone in the street — shoeless and sobbing. Martel-Bastien and a concerned resident approached the boy, who managed to tell them only his name, that he was 3 and that he’d gotten lost while following … Read more