KANSAS CITY, Mo. – “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, which is a quote derived from Herodotus, a 5th century BC Greek historian.

And while city and rural letter carriers are proud of the U.S. Postal Service’s unofficial motto, a bit of help from their customers is always welcomed – especially with the recent snowfall across the region.

“Snow and ice on sidewalks, front porches and around rural mailboxes present a serious safety challenge for our letter carriers across the Midwest,” said Mark Martinez, manager of the agency’s Kansas City-based Mid-America District. The district covers most of western, central and southern Missouri and eastern Kansas.

“Our employees take their jobs seriously and take pride in reporting to work -- regardless of the conditions,” Martinez said, “but if access to the mailbox is blocked by snow or ice, we remind them that safety is paramount to delivering the mail.”

The Postal Service also is reminding customers to keep access to their rural mailboxes clear. “Our rural and city carriers will battle freezing temperatures, ice and snow in many parts of the Midwest,” Martinez explained. “We urge customers to do the right thing, not just for our letter carriers, but for everyone.”

By taking these safety measures, postal customers might be able to make a bit of history themselves this year: an accident-free winter for everyone.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.