Tis’ the season for Christmas cards, holiday letters, and packages galore. How galore? From Big Oak Flat through Groveland and up to the Yosemite park entrance, that’s about 1500 Amazon packages and several pallets of Priority Mail, first-class, and media mail every day leading up to Christmas.
“Amazon delivers two and three times a day now,” said Kathy Miller, Groveland postal clerk. “The first delivery is around 1 a.m., the second around 6 a.m., and lately, they’re delivering another load in the afternoon.”
With five rural routes and two post office locations, our USPS team is working ‘round the clock to keep the mail moving, and that includes Postmaster Norma Powell, who’s pulling the “Hoot Owl” shift this week. "We also offer passport processing and have customers coming from Fresno to San Jose for appointments," says Norma, "(bringing) lots of visitors to our community due to that special service."
While the Postal Service has no official motto, the popular belief that it does is a tribute to America's postal workers. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” These words, thought to be the motto, are chiseled in gray granite over the entrance to the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue. They come from Book 8, Paragraph 98, of The Persian Wars by Herodotus. During the wars between the Greeks and Persians (500-449 B.C.), the Persians operated a system of mounted postal couriers who served with great fidelity.
It takes great fidelity–that is, faithfulness, continuing loyalty and support–to serve our far-flung community. Our five carriers and four clerks know us by name and go the extra mile for us, especially during the holidays.
Did you get that special Christmas card from your grandchild? Don’t forget to thank your mail carrier and postal clerks for making it happen!
Still have gifts and cards to mail? The cut-off date for Christmas delivery of first-class mail is Saturday, Dec. 18. The Big Oak Flat post office is open until 11 am on Saturday, but get there early if you have packages to post!