Holiday rush hits post offices

By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason, FCT staff
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the Christmas rush is on, and the United States Postal Service recommends that packages be sent early, especially for military families.
Post offices nationwide have already begun to feel the rush of the season, and it is expected to worsen within the coming weeks.
The deadline for Parcel Post, the most economically way to send items overseas, has already expired. If you have not sent packages to loved ones in the military, your package will be late, or you will have to pay for the shipping, according to USPS news release.
However, military kits are available from the USPS. These kids make it easier for military families and friend to send packages to those stationed overseas. Since the program began in 2004, the USPS has shipped more than 150,000 kits, according to USPS website.
Each kit contains two Priority Mail boxes, six Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, eight Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and eight customs forms with envelopes. The kit can be ordered by call the USPS at 1-800-620-8734 and requesting a Military Kit. There is no charge for the kits. The flat rate boxes can be shipped to any APO/FPO in the world, regardless of weight, for $8.10.
All packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members as required by the US Department of Defense.