“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

-Unoffical USPS Motto

The #USPSiloveyou Project

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these days, you’ve heard all about the issues surrounding the United States Postal Service and funding. Legislation in 2006 requiring the USPS to “refund all current and former employee retirement and health benefits in advance,” only further exacerbated financial woes brought on by the advent of online bill pay and email. Even though the pandemic is now synonymous with everything being shipped to avoid unnecessary traveling to stores, it’s not enough given the decline in first-class mail over the years.

The post office is a staple to many rural communities, and especially the elderly that do not have access to technology for written communication. Businesses like Beanstalk Collective rely on the USPS for the delivery of orders to customers and then, in turn, the delivery of paper products.

I was thrilled to find the #USPSiloveyou project via Instagram several weeks back, and immediately jumped to write letters to friends across the country and in my own backyard of Memphis. The Covid-19 pandemic brought me lots of free time given little to no social engagements, but unfortunately not the creative bug; therefore, I was happy for an excuse to whip out my calligraphy supplies and get the juices flowing again. When I wrote my letters I had recently watched one of my favorite movies, Pride and Prejudice, where they only communicate via beautifully written letters. So, I approached my #USPSiloveyou cards as if there were no social media postings, text messages and phone calls to keep us up to-date and found myself writing all sorts of random tidbits about life that I usually wouldn’t get to share.

Below are the “rules” for the project. Go grab yourself your favorite beverage, a good ink pen, and some personalized stationery and get started:

1. Buy a pack of stamps at your local post office branch or online here.

2. Pick 3 people that you know will join in on the fun to mail a happy note.

3. In each card include 3 extra stamps to keep the chain going.

4. Sign the card with #USPSiloveyou and share these directions with the recipient so they know what to do.

5. Post a photo of your mail with the #USPSiloveyou hashtag… and don’t forget to tag us and your Beanstalk stationery too!

I can’t wait to see how many people join in on this fun project to help save the post office!

For those wanting to do more to help save the Post Office, here is a link to an article listing some more action items.