These amazing initiatives started for members in the communities to connect with one another, bringing a bit of brightness to any day, all through the art of mail.
Pay It Forward
Take a moment and think of someone you can write a letter or send a note to, whether it be a close friend, loved one, family member, or even the local healthcare or senior living center. Writing the message will have you feeling happy and connected to the recipient, and the recipient will surely be excited to receive the message. Small gestures, such as a letter or note, even small package, can make the world of difference.
Households received two free An Post postcards to help ‘brighten up January’
Households across the State received two free postage-paid postcards to help “brighten up January”, An Post has said.
The postcards are set to be delivered to homes, homeless hubs, nursing/care homes and prisons nationwide from Wednesday, January 20th and will be postage paid for delivery within Ireland.
The large format postcards included one with a printed design and one blank for decorating. An Post said its first free postcard initiative launched last March proved “hugely popular with customers during the country’s first period of lockdown”.
Julie Gill, An Post’s commercial marketing director, said “as we continue to support each other by staying apart and staying home, it’s the right time to send love to family and friends, particularly those who are living alone”.
“We’re delighted to present our second free set of postcards for customers and this time we are inviting everyone to enjoy making their greeting extra-special with their own personal design,” she said.
“We saw wonderful artwork on the postcards last year so we’re giving customers of all ages the space to be even more creative this time around. Your messages of love and solidarity will brighten people’s homes over the weeks ahead.”
An Post is also providing free postage on letters to and from residents of nursing and care homes in the State. By writing FREEPOST where the stamp normally goes, An Post will carry cards and letters to residents without a postage stamp.
An Post says its delivery staff are continuing to check in regularly with older people along their postal routes. Family members of older or vulnerable customers can register for a specific free check-in for a relative at anpost.com/CommunityFocus.
Laid-off airport employee starts a ‘Peanuts’ pen pal group for isolated seniors
Last March, Wesley Morgan, 32, was furloughed from his job at the Denver International Airport due to the coronavirus pandemic. He passed the time, as other Americans did, by streaming shows and working around the house. But as time went by, he ran out of things to do and grew tired of watching the same shows.
Being a collector of “Peanuts” and Snoopy comic strip memorabilia, when he happened upon a Facebook post from a fellow “Peanuts” collector, he was intrigued. The other collector was writing to older adults that were quarantined in a local care facility and decided to do the same.
In an interview with ABC News, he said he was putting to use his “Peanuts” cards and stationery sets, that he had collected and hoarded over many years.
While researching online to find people he could write to, he found several Facebook groups, including “Forget Me Not” and “From the Heart” that take and share requests for letter correspondence. He started writing to seniors in Denver, as well as residents of nursing homes across the country.
Of the 500 people he reached out to, he heard back from 142 people. He hears from many of them regularly. He calls them his “Peanuts” pen pals.
One of the pen pals is a retired teacher in a senior living community in Denver. They were writing so often, they switched to email. She told ABC News, “It just cheers me up that there’s somebody, quite frankly, that cares about me.”
Although Morgan returned to work in early November, he has continued his correspondence, even sending holiday gifts of socks and slippers — “Peanuts”-themed, of course.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to use this collection,” he said. “It was something I could do from home. I didn’t have to leave.”
Learn more about the benefits of physical mail:
- Ebook: Hybrid Communication Benefits (and Challenges)
- Ebook: The Future of Mail: Top 5 Predictions from Industry Experts
- Webinar: The Importance of Print in the Hybrid Communications Mix
Find out more on how Quadient Mail Related Solutions can benefit you, contact Quadient today.
