Rural Carrier Associate Brandon Pectol was delivering mail on a cold, rainy day recently in Santa Clara, UT, when he spotted a teenage bicyclist in distress.
The boy, who was inadequately dressed for the weather, had taken shelter under an awning at a market, and Pectol saw that he was soaking wet and shivering, with his lips turning blue.
The teen declined Pectol’s offer to use his phone, but he did accept his jacket, which the Postal Service employee told him to drop off at the Post Office sometime if possible.
The boy, who was on his way home from school, continued on his journey, and the jacket showed up the next day at the Post Office.
But it wasn’t until several days later that Pectol found a handwritten note in one of the pockets:
“Hey Mr. Mailman! I just wanted to say thank you for helping me when I was in need. You were the only person to stop and see if I was OK. Plus, you were kind enough to offer me your jacket. For all you knew, you would never see it again. A little bit of kindness can go a long way. Again, thank you for helping me out. Sincerely, the cold kid in need of a jacket.”
As word spread about Pectol’s good deed, the story was picked up by radio station KSL in Salt Lake City.
“I couldn’t just leave him there like that,” Pectol said. “I’m just happy I was there at the right time.”
Santa Clara Postmaster Kimberly Johnson called the incident a reminder “to say thanks to people, or do something nice for somebody.”
“It just makes you think about how you treat others,” she added.