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letters
Citizen
Username: Letters016
Post Number: 563
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 3:48 pm: | 
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On Saturday, May 13th, there was a nationwide food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), The United States Postal Service (USPS) and Campbell’s. Long-time supporters of the drive also include America’s Second Harvest, Cox Target Media, local United Ways throughout America and the AFL-CIO Community Services Network. It has become the “nations largest one-day effort to combat hunger in America”, according to the NALC. Postmaster General John E. Potter had this to say, “The United States Postal Service is proud to support our nation’s letter carriers and the generosity of customers to enable the collection of millions of pounds of food to replenish community food banks and feed the needy”.
The Maplewood letter carriers have charitably assisted in this effort every year and have given the food that we collected to local food banks, usually in M/SO. We have considered it our privilege and obligation to assist those in need in our area, especially since we see some of them every day.
But things have changed and last year was a disaster. According to the then newly arrived management, it was his opinion that the food drive had nothing to do with the USPS, even though it was pointed out to him that the official USPS publication said that they proudly sponsored it. He went as far as stating that no additional time would be allotted during the day to retrieve any food left out and anyone who took longer out on the street would be disciplined the following Monday. This left the letter carriers in a troublesome position. We either could ignore him and pick up the food that was generously left out by our customers and risk his wrath on Monday, or we could ignore the food, do our job normally and outrage our customers.
It was a mixed bag as about half of the carriers picked up the food and the other half did not and the results were predictable. I remember clearly the ire and angst displayed on MOL when people found out that the food they had purchased was still on their front porch and when they called the PO to complain, their concerns fell on deaf ears. Some of the people in this town even went as far as taking their frustration verbally out on their letter carrier.
So this year, when the food drive was announced, I went around and talked with my fellow carriers and asked them if they wanted to try this again this year with the same management in charge. The answer was a resounding "NO". It upset most of us, since it is something that we really liked to do and we knew that we were helping to make a difference in our area. But with all of the other troubles happening in our PO, this would be like throwing gasoline on a fire and nobody wanted to be a part of it.
As far as I know, the Maplewood PO was the ONLY one that did not participate in our area and for that we are truly sorry. But when doing something directly affects your livelihood you may have to make some tough and unpopular decisions.
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Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5036
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 9:55 pm: |
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That's too bad Letters. I have a feeling South Orange didn't do this either. At least our carrier didn't. Perhaps to make up for it people can bring their donations to the post office? |
letters
Citizen
Username: Letters016
Post Number: 567
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 10:02 pm: |
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Absolutely not. Thanks for the concern, but we have no arrangements made to bring the food anywhere. However, there are plenty of religious groups in the area that have food banks. Also Mpwd has a welfare dept. in town hall that would accept some. Not sure if SO has that dept, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5042
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 10:26 pm: |
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The residents that are angry should realize you guys do the best you can. Hopefully next year will be different? Maybe it can be done in conjunction with the Boy Scouts? Maybe they can follow in cars to collect the food? |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 1434
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 12:00 am: |
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The management of the Maplewood Post Office appears to be abysmal. Between the issues people have had with trying to use the actual post office and this now, maybe it is time for a change in the local management. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14265
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 11:20 am: |
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We didn't get mail delivery on Friday, and no one picked up our outbound mail. Could this be related?
I work in Piscataway and sometimes go to the post office there. The staff are amazing. One guy peels the edges between the stamps before selling them to make peeling the stamps easier for customers. He showed this to me proudly. Of course, he really doesn't need to do this, but it shows an attitude of trying to do everything possible to satisfy us.
Sorry you and your cow-orkers have to deal with all this nonsense. My Piscataway story is to show that it doesn't have to be bad everywhere.
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3746
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 11:21 am: |
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THE ORKING OF THE COWS MUST STOP! |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14278
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 12:46 pm: |
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You mean I gotta ork my own cows? Perish the thought!
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3753
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 12:59 pm: |
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For an otherwise rational, resonable, well-informed, intelligent man, you seem utterly unable (or perhaps unwilling) to let go of this little grammatical peculiarity of yours, and get with the program! 
Co-workers!
co–
prefix
Together; joint; jointly; mutually: coeducation.
Partner or associate in an activity: coauthor; cofounder; coworker.
Subordinate or assistant: copilot.
To the same extent or degree: coextensive.
Complement of an angle: cotangent. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14281
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 1:02 pm: |
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Boy, you get your panties all twisted over a typo?
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3754
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 1:10 pm: |
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You know I'm busting chops, right Tom? And it ain't a typo when you do it all the time! |
Eats Shoots & Leaves
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 3350
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 1:46 pm: |
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At that point, it goes beyond being a typo and has become a twitch (hey Me, is that why your eyelid is twitching? Is Tom's orking cows getting to you?) |
Wendy
Supporter
Username: Wendy
Post Number: 2472
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:21 pm: |
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I've heard of more bizarre reasons than that for twitching eyelids. I'm with meand. Not sure which aggravates me more: an unintentional but consistent grammatical mistake like the dog got lose or the cow thing. But aggravate me they do. |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3442
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:44 pm: |
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Methinks Mr. Reingold doth it on purpose. |
Wendy
Supporter
Username: Wendy
Post Number: 2473
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 4:21 pm: |
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I know sac. Perhaps I wasn't clear in drawing the distinction more clearly between the unintentional and the intentional. (Oh, and congrats on another aced course!) |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 7431
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 8:09 pm: |
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Letters:
Which food bank would the donations have gone to had the Maplewood Post Office participated? How many lbs of food would have been collected based on past experience? Perhaps if we had a goal and a destination, we could organize our own drive so the hungry in our area don't suffer as a result of this change in local Post Office policy.
This would make a great Eagle project if one of your scouts is looking for a worthwhile project. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5049
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 8:42 pm: |
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Tom
Come on we know it wasn't a typo.
Didn't you tell us a couple years ago you've been calling the people you work cow-workers for years.
Joan-
I agree with you. I mentioned something similar. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14294
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 8:44 pm: |
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You saying it doesn't look like a typo?
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letters
Citizen
Username: Letters016
Post Number: 570
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 9:27 pm: |
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Joan,
I would normally have called St. Joseph's and Our Lady Of Sorrows as well as town hall. Actually, since town hall has a supply/storage problem (at least I think they did) I ask what they need first. There is always plenty left over for everyone else. Only once St. Joe's and OLOS were full. I think I gave it to the Salvation Army in Newark that year.
How much we collect changes from year to year. Sometimes we get overwhelmed but others it seems like we worked all day for very little. It's very weird. I could never get a good handle on what changes year to year. It's always held around the same time, so, who knows?
Thanks for the suggestion about it being an Eagle project, but actually, it is not enough to qualify for one. A scout would have to do more than just collect food (at least in Troop 5).
PS: Don't let Tomrein Gold get to you. He's just having fun in his quirky way. (This is why we like him!) |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 7434
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 5:01 pm: |
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Letters:
There should be more involved than just collecting food.
1. Identifying those who would benefit most from the food drive.
2. Identifying what food(s) and related supplies (such as toilet paper) are most needed.
3. Determining a time frame when need is greatest and other drives are not being held.
4. Recruiting volunteers to help with publicity, distribution of bags and/or informational handouts, collection, transport, distribution.
5. Conduct of each of the operations in #4.
6. Evaluation of how well the project went and how it might be improved.
This includes a wide variety of opportunities for showing leadership, planning, evaluation and organizational skills and should include more than the minimum number of hours required for such a program.
If the scouts were simply collecting food as part of an organized regional drive being held throughout the area on the same day, with publicity, planning, distribution and transport being done for them by the parent organization sponsoring the drive, I would agree with you.
I can recall an Eagle Project for Troop 5 where the scout collected books. I don't think this is very different.
If the scout needed an additional phase to the project, a presentation on good nutrition to an appropriate target group would help to flesh out the project. Another possibility would be to include a community-wide program on hunger awareness. Many people aren't aware of the fact that we may have families in our community who are going hungry. |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 1129
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 5:11 pm: |
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Letters, thanks for trying to continue this project. Sounds like a pretty "trying" situation for you at the p.o.
Morrow Church has a food collection about monthly for an organization that I think supplies several nearby pantries, and I imagine they wouldn't mind extra donations, esp. as summer nears, and with it the end of school breakfasts/lunches. Call the Morrow office to confirm, and for dates and suggestions.
Personally, I used to shop for the food pantry once a month when doing my own grocery shopping, but at some point it occurred to me they could probably get more bang from a cash buck than from my retail purchases. |
BGS
Supporter
Username: Bgs
Post Number: 1000
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 5:13 pm: |
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Letters- Morrow does collect the 2nd Sunday of the month every month for MEND-
Meeting Emergency Needs with Dignity. The church number is 973-763-7676. The church secretary would be able to help anyone with any questions about the program or tell you where to drop off donations.
BGS |
letters
Citizen
Username: Letters016
Post Number: 572
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 11:03 pm: |
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MJC & BGS,
Yes, I'm sorry. I have also used Morrow in the past, I just forgot to mention them. I've also given to the Trinity Church in SO.
But, unfortunately, due to the change in policy at the Maplewood PO we can no longer participate in this, and that really sucks. I, for one, am not happy with this new attitude as it goes against my nature and I think the nature of this town.
However, if this new person does what I think he is trying to do, this may all be a mute point. There may be NO PO anywhere in Maplewood, so I guess this won't be a problem anymore!
Joan,
You are absolutely correct. There are many people in our area that are in need of food. With all of the complaints on MOL about SUV's, high taxes and the general cost of living, some might find it hard to believe that we have people in need here.
They are really not hard to find if you look. One lives between you and me. I have brought Scouts over to her house to rake leaves and fix up her lawn. Some of her neighbors take care of her on a day to day basis.
Also, I guess if it were done correctly from start to finish, a food drive could make for a nice Eagle project if it were presented properly at the outset. |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 5149
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 2:09 am: |
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"There are many people in our area that are in need of food."
Forget the food! Give them a beer... So how's your mom doing and when are we going to have that beer? |
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