FORT MYERS / NAPLES, FL - What does your mailbox say about you? Does it need a face lift?  Does it reflect a positive image of your home? May is Mailbox Improvement Month.  Fort Myers Postmaster Randy Stines and Naples Postmaster Richard Barber are hosting an “Extreme Mailbox Makeover” contest during May.  Make your plans now to spiff up your mailbox and enter the contest.  You, your letter carrier, and your neighbors will be pleased—whether you win the contest or not!

Here’s what to do:

• Take a photo of the existing box that needs a makeover.
• Make the changes you desire and take a photo of the new, spiffy mailbox.
• Mail both photos, along with your name, address, and phone number to: USPS Consumer Council, 79 Mid Cape Ter, Cape Coral, FL 33991. Or, email entries to Kathleen.m.swanson@usps.com.
• Entries will be accepted through May 30.

The Fort Myers and Naples Consumer Advisory Councils will judge the entries for creativity and compliance with postal regulations.  Two winners for each city will be announced on June 12.  The winning photos will be on display in the Page Field, Cape Coral Central, Naples Main and Coco River post offices during July.  The winning mailboxes will be featured on two sheets of First-Class mail customized photo postage stamps presented to the winners.

Mailboxes should be installed at a height of 41-45 inches from the road surface to the bottom of the mailbox or point of mail entry. Mailboxes are set back 6-8 inches from the front face of the curb or road edge to the mailbox door. Mailboxes must be approved traditional, contemporary or locked full/limited curbside mailboxes.  A custom built mailbox requires approval by the Postmaster prior to installation and must conform to the requirements relative to the flag, size, strength, and quality of construction. The mailbox must display the house number on the flag side of the box.  Safety tip – to keep yourself and the letter carrier safe from stings, avoid the use of flowering plants or bushes!

Mr. Zip’s Tip:  Mail is a great communication tool.  No monthly plans.  No signal outages.  No roaming charges.  Regardless of geographic location, anyone can send a letter for just 46 cents anywhere in the United States and its territories.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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