Grand Rapids, MI — The U.S. Postal Service is asking customers to please help letter carriers deliver mail safely by maintaining a clear path to mailboxes, clearing leaves, snow, and ice from sidewalks, stairs, and mailboxes. 

“Leaves piled in front of mailboxes along with snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow,” said District Manager Diane Ingland.  “Maintaining a clear path to the mailbox — including steps, porches, walkways and street approach — will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service and help them get the mail delivered.”

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove leaves and snow piles left by snowplows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for customers to deposit mail, and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice. “We want our letter carriers to be safe,” Ingland added. “We can only do this with the help of our customers.”

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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