by Staff Report
United States Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, is seeking clarification from the U.S. Postal Service on how holiday packages should be labeled and shipped to servicemembers overseas this holiday season.
In a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner, Blumenthal cited Boxes to Boots Connecticut which had 844 of their 1,139 holiday care packages for troops overseas inexplicably returned. Additionally, more than 100 packages are simply missing. USPS has yet to locate the missing packages or provide an explanation to the organization for why the packages were returned, Blumenthal said.
“It has been a time-honored tradition for families and advocates to send holiday packages to our nation’s military personnel deployed overseas,” Blumenthal said Monday. “The men and women who serve our country in uniform are often away from family and friends during the holidays, and these packages have meaning and impact far beyond their contents.”
Blumenthal said the Postal Service must do right by the servicemembers by providing a clear process for sending holiday packages.
In addition to calling on USPS to publicly disseminate clear guidance and contact information for military families and organizations who are encountering similar obstacles, Blumenthal has asked for a USPS representative to directly contact Kristen Gauvin at Boxes to Boots Connecticut to resolve their issues and ensure the organization can deliver their care packages before the holidays.