Now that the school year has started — especially for the college student who has ventured away from home — you may want to send your favorite student a reminder from home. Here are several suggestions:
A Message from Home. For most students, a letter from home is a lifeline, a vital connection with family and friends that helps to keep spirits high and confidence strong during difficult times. The Postal Service is proud to help bring a little bit of home to those away from home. While you’re at it, why not include a booklet of Forever stamps that can be used by the student to send messages back home?
Letters help make moments special. Taking the time to write a letter says so much to the student. Pausing to think about your friend or loved one, to revisit your memories and experiences, and to put those thoughts and emotions on paper bring these feelings to life for you as well as the student. And when flowers have wilted, iMs and e-mails have been deleted, and phone conversations have been forgotten, letters of love and messages of comfort and consolation remain, to be read and appreciated over and over again.
Gift Cards. Of course, these are always appreciated. The student can use them without having to invest any of his/her own funds. Remember that gift cards cannot be insured, so be sure to keep receipts to contact the card issuer if they are lost or stolen. And, to protect your investment, the U.S. Postal Service suggests using Registered or Express Mail for tracking the delivery. The Postal Service also has special envelopes for sending gift cards. NEVER put gift cards in regular letter mail as automated mail processing equipment can damage the mail piece.
A Special Box. Why not send your student a box of his/her favorite things? Who wouldn’t want a box of homemade cookies or candy? Or a new item of clothing? Perhaps it’s something he/she forgot to take to college. Use the “If it Fits” box. Whatever you can stuff in this Priority Mail Flat Rate box or envelope eliminates the need to weigh or calculate postage; it goes at one standard price. Whatever you send, make sure it is packed carefully so it will arrive in good shape.
Postal Money Order. Do not send cash through the mail! Postal Money Orders are the safe way to send money. They are available at any Post Office or from any rural route carrier in amounts up to $1,000. There’s no expiration date, and if they are lost or stolen, a receipt can be presented to apply for a replacement.
For more information about purchasing stamps, stamps by mail, postal regulations, a free subscription to USA Philatelic magazine, Post Office events, the location of the nearest postal store or contract unit, or for answers to your specific Postal Service questions, contact USPS at 1-800-275-8777, or visit www.usps.com.
To schedule a presentation for your community, club or group on how the Postal Service brings the Post Office to your home or office computer, call 239-573-9638.
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With 32,000 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 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011,Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agencyfor six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
