Send a Package to a Healthcare Worker and Help Save the Postal Service

How to Send a USPS Package from Home

1. Gather your materials and pack them inside a new box or poly mailing envelope
2. Sign up for free shipping software to buy discounted USPS shipping labels online
3. Enter your package weight, dimensions, and your recipient address to get an instant quote and purchase your label
4. Print your shipping label and affix it to your package
5. Schedule a free, contactless USPS pickup done by your local letter carrier (with the option to include End-of-Day SCAN Forms for multiple packages)

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In the past two months, a group of individuals have turned into overnight heroes: our nation’s healthcare workers. As Coronavirus continues to infect more and more people, our healthcare workers are on the frontlines every day battling against this pandemic. So, we at Shipping School thought of a fun way that anyone can show their appreciation: sending a care package to a healthcare worker. Thanks to free online shipping software, this is something you can do from the comfort of your home. If you have kids, it’s also a fun activity to get them involved with! The best part is, by sending a package to a healthcare worker, you’ll knock out two birds with one stone. You’ll be doing something nice for our heroes on the frontlines, while chipping in to help save save the United States Postal Service at the same time.

How to Send a Care Package to a Healthcare Worker

If you’d like to send out a care package to, here are the steps you’ll need to take to make it happen:

1. Decide Who You’d Like to Send Your Care Package To

The first step to sending a care package to a healthcare worker is doing research on where you’d like to send it. Most hospitals accept care packages and gift donations, but you’ll need to contact each hospital specifically to find out what kind of items they need (as well as where to address your labels to).

In this case, we recommend contacting local hospitals in your city or state to see if they’re accepting care packages. If they are, they should be able to point you in the right direction in terms of what kind of items they’re looking for, and where you can send them.

If you’re looking for a quick list, here are several hospitals in some of the more affected areas of the country, with links to what kind of donations they’re seeking as well as contact information:

• UCLA Health (Los Angeles, California)
• The Brooklyn Hospital Center (Brooklyn, New York)
• New York Presbyterian Hospital (Manhattan, New York)
• Penn Medicine (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts)
• UChicago Medicine (Chicago, Illinois)

2. Gather Up Enough Materials

Right now healthcare workers need all the help they can get. Judging by the shortage of equipment, doctors and nurses could benefit from receiving the following items:

• Disinfectant Clorox or antibacterial wipes (unopened)
• Personal Protective Equipment (or PPE)
• Disposal lab coats (all sizes)
• Hand sanitizer
• Gloves (non-latex; latex gloves are banned at most healthcare facilities)
• Packaged snacks

Obviously, you can throw in anything else you like that you think a healthcare worker may enjoy. However, we recommend you first check with the hospital you wish to send the package to make sure all the items you plan on including are acceptable.

3. Get Your Hands on a Box

Once you’ve gathered up your goods, you’ll want to package them in a strong, corrugated box. Most people don’t have shipping boxes lying around at home. Fortunately, you can walk into your local Post Office and pick up any of their boxes for free. You can also order free USPS boxes online to be delivered to your home, if you’re not comfortable with going to the Post Office right now.

4. Use Shipping Software to Buy Discounted Postage

Once you’ve got your package ready to go, it’s time to buy your shipping label. Fortunately, shipping software allows you to purchase and print shipping labels from. Below, we’ve listed some of the easiest ones to sign up for and start shipping:

• Pirate Ship
• Stamps.com
• Shipstation
• ShippingEasy
• Shippo
• USPS.com (not recommended—you’ll have to pay the full retail rate, no different than what you’d pay at the Post Office)

Why the United States Postal Service Needs Your Help

In case you haven’t heard, the United States Postal Service is in serious trouble right now. First Class Mail and Marketing Mail volumes have fallen severely due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and those mailing services are where USPS makes the majority of its revenue. The fact that mail services have dwindled puts the Postal Service is an extremely difficult financial position, which means that our nation’s favorite government agency is at risk.

The fact of the matter is, America needs the US Postal Service for its reliable delivery timeframes, affordable rates, and commitment to provide universal service no matter where in the country we live…and right now, USPS is on the brink of bankruptcy. If USPS goes under, then every day life for all of us is bound to change drastically. It’s not just the millions of American eCommerce businesses that rely on USPS that would be impacted, but also the 7.5 million American jobs at the heart of the mailing and shipping industry build around the Postal Service. That’s roughly 2% of the entire population of our country—not to mention the fact that every single one of us relies on USPS each day to deliver our mail, both for business and personal matters.

If You Can’t Send a Package, Buy Some Stamps At the Very Least

If you’re not in a position to send a care package out, that’s totally fine. At the very least, you could possibly buy some stamps on the USPS website. As stated before, the Postal Service still makes the majority of its money from First Class Mail and Marketing Mail, and that type of mail has dried up because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Picking up a roll of stamps is a small purchase that can have a potentially big impact.

Ready to get started?

If you’d like to send a care package to a healthcare worker:

Get an Instant Shipping Quote

If you’d like to mail a letter:

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