A controlled burn on a prairie near Bowman, ND, recently got out of control, threatening a postal customer’s home. Rural Carrier Stacey Scott encountered the encroaching blaze as she was delivering mail and got no answer at the front door, so she called the customer’s mobile phone. She learned that the homeowner was traveling, but … Read more
Rural Carrier Kathy Bullard was delivering mail recently in Amherst, TX, when she encountered a customer who was alone and disoriented. Not wanting to leave the man by himself, Bullard contacted a neighbor who knew the man’s family and was able to reach one of his children. The postal employee stayed with the customer until … Read more
Rural Carrier Associate Luke Geist recently noticed that a co-worker at the Holton, KS, Post Office didn’t look well. When the man leaned on a cart to steady himself, Geist approached him and asked if he was okay. “No,” he replied, before going limp. Geist caught him before he hit the floor, then called out … Read more
Customers in Rochelle, GA, are mourning the recent loss of Roger Burnette, a longtime rural carrier who performed a heroic act shortly before his death. Burnette was delivering mail to a residence where a customer normally greeted him at the mail box. Instead, he found the woman sprawled out on the ground. Burnette rushed to … Read more
Port Charlotte, FL, Rural Carrier Associate Theresa Nemeth knew a customer well enough to be sure that he wouldn’t have let his mail pile up recently, and that he wouldn’t have gone out of town without requesting hold or forward service. When she shared her concern with a maintenance worker while delivering mail at the … Read more
As Rural Carrier Michael Thomas recently approached a mailbox in Leland, MS, he could see a bicycle lying nearby in the grass. But when he got closer, there was more: a 72-year-old customer who’d fallen off the bike and couldn’t get up, and her 2-year-old grandson trying to help her. Thomas called the woman’s husband … Read more
Rural Carrier Associate Debra Feist was delivering mail recently in White Cloud, MI, when she heard a customer call out for help. She found the woman stranded inside her home, unable to get up after a fall. Feist helped her into a chair and called the local Postmaster. Emergency responders took the woman to a … Read more
Cedaredge, CO, Rural Carrier Patsy Arnold was delivering mail recently when she noticed an occupied car alongside the road. She stopped to offer assistance and found that the driver was the son of a co-worker and was on his way to a hospital because he was suffering an allergic reaction to a bee sting, but … Read more
While delivering mail recently in Lincoln, NE, Rural Carrier James Farnstrom noticed a familiar customer wandering around who appeared to be disoriented. Concerned that she may have been dehydrated, he gave her a bottle of water and struck up a conversation. Customer Services Supervisor Sharon Smock was conducting a driver observation nearby and soon joined … Read more
Rural Carrier Christopher Meskan was outside the Waterville, MN, Post Office recently loading mail for delivery when he saw a girl around the age of 3 wandering nearby. Seeing no sign of an adult and aware of hazards such as an adjacent bay, Meskan took the girl inside and police were called. The child couldn’t … Read more
A postal customer in Fuquay-Varina, NC, recently sought out help in a moment of crisis and found it when she went outside and saw Rural Carrier James Sutton approaching her door with a package. The woman told Sutton that her 86-year-old mother was inside and had suddenly become weak and unable to talk or move. … Read more
It was a hot day in Lubbock, TX, recently when Rural Carrier Eddie Santos noticed something amiss while delivering mail: He spotted a woman who seemed disoriented wandering around with a dog. The postal employee stopped to check on her, but apparently she did not speak English. He then enlisted the help of a nearby … Read more
Two postal customers in Berlin, MD, recently got the help they needed in an emergency from Rural Carrier Tamela Donaway. A man had seriously injured his hand while operating a bench lathe at home, and his wife — who was recovering from heart surgery — couldn’t come to his aid. She could, however, shout out … Read more
Rural Carrier Vanessa Beatty had just delivered a package to a customer’s home in Prosperity, PA, when she heard someone call out to her. The voice was faint but unmistakable: “Mail lady! Mail lady!” As Beatty looked around, she saw a hand waving frantically in the window of a horse trailer. The customer, who lives … Read more
A misstep on uneven pavement recently left a Ware, MA, postal customer injured and stranded for hours on a hot driveway in a secluded area where traffic is rare. Rural Carrier Nancy McKinstry was the first passerby following the woman’s fall, and she rushed to her side when she spotted her. McKinstry called the woman’s … Read more
The emaciated pony was out of hope, and almost out of time. Someone abandoned the animal on a roadside near Sanger, CA, earlier this year, along with a smattering of hay and fruit. But with a broken jaw, tooth damage and a leg injury, the animal had little will — and little ability — to … Read more
A recent hot day in Rehoboth, MA, caused an elderly customer to feel ill. He was in distress when Rural Carrier Kathryn Bennett encountered him while delivering mail, so she gave him a cold bottle of water and called for emergency assistance. She also phoned his daughter, who later stopped by the Post Office to … Read more