Post Office Will be Closed to Celebrate Labor Day
Postal Service employees across the commonwealth will celebrate Labor Day as all Post Offices will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2023. There will be no delivery of mail on the Labor Day, with the exception of guaranteed overnight parcels. Full retail and delivery services will resume on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.
As we celebrate our nation’s labor force, if you’re considering a new career or looking for work visit www.usps.com/careers and you can search, by state, for available jobs near you. As the Postal Service’s Delivering for America Plan transforms USPS into the premier shipping provider in the nation, we need your help moving the nations mail and are currently hiring for positions in your area.
Spectacular Bridges Grace Stamps
The U.S. Postal Service issued four new Presorted First-Class Mail stamps featuring striking photographs of bridges. The structures range from modern to historic, pedestrian to car-carrying, and all are important landmarks in their communities.
The Bridges stamps are intended for business mail users and are sold in self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000. Use of these stamps requires a special permit and a minimum quantity of 500 letters.
The stamp art features four bridges completed between 1938 and 2022: the multi-span steel through arch Arrigoni Bridge connecting the Connecticut municipalities of Middletown and Portland; the S-curved cable-stayed Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Council Bluffs, IA, and Omaha, NE; the steel truss Skydance Bridge topped by a public sculpture in Oklahoma City; and the basket-handle twin arch Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge connecting Bettendorf, IA, and Moline, IL.
Bridges are among the oldest structures created by humans. In ancient times, simple slabs of stone spanned slow moving rivers. And in modern times, concrete and steel are used to cover vast distances. While the materials and designs have evolved from utilitarian structures to engineering marvels, bridges remain integral parts of American life, with over 600,000 bridges in the United States. The construction of bridges is a way to reinvigorate communities economically as well as create landmarks of regional pride. Many modern bridges are designed for use by cyclists and pedestrians as well as motorists, capturing the imagination of human possibility.
Whether simply improving transit or vibrantly lighting the night with color-changing light displays, bridges remain vital connectors drawing together people, cities and the nation.
Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, used existing photographs to design these stamps.
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a crucial time to raise awareness, remove stigmas, and provide education about suicide. Having conversations about suicide is important because it reduces the stigma associated with the topic. By allowing for more open and honest communication, individuals with suicidal ideations can feel more empowered to seek help and are less likely to feel alone. Currently, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. For ages 10-44, suicide is the second leading cause of death.
Anyone can participate in Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. There are activities that individuals, schools, offices, churches, and all types of organizations can conduct to bring awareness to suicide prevention.
Visit www.jasonfoundation.com to download our Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Informational Packet. Look for Suicide Prevention Month under the How to Get Involved tab. Within the packet, there are ideas on how businesses, schools, religious institutions, athletic organizations, and even your family can become involved in spreading the message of suicide prevention.
Also, on the Suicide Prevention Month page you can click on #IWONTBESILENT to learn about The Jason Foundation’s campaign to reach as many citizens as possible with the positive message that suicide is preventable and enable those citizens to reach out for help for their loved ones and friends. You can download signs, brochures, flyers, and stickers to display. There is even a user guide to help you plan for the month-long campaign.
The Jason Foundation believes that education is the key to prevention. Our nation should be familiar with the warning signs associated with suicide, suicide facts and statistics, and how to find help for those at risk. Suicide can be preventable. Together, we can save lives. You may even save your co-worker, friend, neighbor’s child, a relative, or even your son or daughter. Are you up for the challenge?
Taste of Chelsea Returns!
The 20th annual Taste of Chelsea will take place on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 99 Marginal Street, Chelsea. Co-hosted by HarborCOV and the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, the highly visible and popular Taste of Chelsea brings together corporate sponsors, area food and beverage vendors, volunteers, survivors, and hundreds of ticket holders who gather to acknowledge the impact of domestic violence on the community and show their support for survivors.
Community members will gather along the water to share a meal provided by participating restaurants while hearing survivor stories, acknowledging the conscientious sponsors supporting local survivors, and learning more about the continuing impact of domestic violence on our communities.
To purchase tickets, visit www.harborcov.org/tasteofchelsea or call 617-884-9799. Tickets cost $35 each, $30 each if you buy 10 or more, or $40 at the door. All proceeds directly benefit HarborCOV (Communities Overcoming Violence), the local nonprofit that supports victims and survivors while engaging the broader community to become part of the solution to end domestic violence.
This year’s participating vendors include: Bella Isla, Chelsea; Bobby C’s, Melrose; The Brown Jug, Chelsea; Buccieri’s Pizzeria, Chelsea; Curly’s Restaurant, Chelsea; Dunkin’ Donuts, Everett Ave., Chelsea; Golden Cannoli, Chelsea; Helados Juli, Chelsea; Homewood Suites, Chelsea; Kushala Sip, Chelsea; Lime, Chelsea; Los Agaves, Chelsea; Mandarin Buffet, Chelsea; Michael G’s, Chelsea; Peach’s & Cream, Chelsea; Piantedosi Baking Company, Malden; Spinelli’s Pasta and Pastry Shop, East Boston; Starbucks, Chelsea; Tijuana, Chelsea; and more.
Eastern Salt remains this year’s top-level Host sponsor, joined by Executive Chef sponsors Massport and East Cambridge Savings Bank; Sous Chef sponsors Gulf Oil and Olivia’s Organics; Maitre d’ sponsors Kayem Foods, Constellation, and Magaletta McCarthy & Nader PC; and Connoisseur sponsors: Bunker Hill Community College, Causeway Development, Greg’s Services Center, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC; Ruma’s Pallet World, Rotary Club of Chelsea, Smith, Sullivan & Brown PC, and others.
For more information, or to join the event as a sponsor or vendor, please contact HarborCOV’s Chief Executive Officer Kourou Pich at [email protected].