The Albany, VT, Post Office celebrated a special day on May 8 when its 05820 ZIP Code matched the calendar date.
This “date meets ZIP” phenomenon occurs in different places each year. While some Post Offices don’t do anything special, others use it as a way to celebrate the special role that USPS plays in the community.
To mark the occasion, Postal Support Employee Allen Clark created a postcard with an image of the Albany Post Office. He then worked with local fourth-graders to produce several drawings that could be turned into a pictorial cancellation mark for “Albany ZIP Code Day.”
The drawings were displayed at the Post Office, where customers chose the winning design for the special cancellation mark.
“I was surprised with the amount of requests coming in by mail for the pictorial cancellation,” Clark said. “I have some from Texas, Ohio, Florida, New York, Oregon — it is amazing. I had one that is being sent to Israel.”
In the week leading up to May 8, the Post Office had canceled 193 postcards, with more requests coming in each day.
The Post Office also sent postcards with a few words of encouragement written on them to the Albany Community School students who drew the pictures. They have been at home since the school closed in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was a great community project, even if we did have to do it through plexiglass,” Clark said.
