A Good Deed
Athenae at First Draft suggests Let’s mail some Legos to Alaska. This was in response to all of the really rotten things that have been going on.
This is related to the campaign by rookie musher Blair Braverman and her #UglyDogs supporters to help Alaskan schools.
The address of the K-2 class being targeted is:
Miss Angela’s Class
DLMS
PO Box 90
Grayling, AK. 99590-0090
Grayling has a population of about 200 and is on the Yukon River. It can only be reached by bush planes, boat when the river is ice free, or dog sled & snow machine when it’s frozen.
Post cards from far away places are very appropriate to connect the kids to the outside world. I sent some Legos and will get some touristy post cards tomorrow.
9 comments
Hi Bryan! Man… I had tears! I am serious! And you know me well, it’s been a long time since I shed a tear for anyone. It may, partly, be a coincidence because of my current mood, but still!
Anyway… I can’t send LEGO (the exchange rate here is insane & even a small pack is twice the price of it in the US, plus shipping from here is also a killer. However, Postcards I can do! My question is: Will they arrive in good order, or should I put a bunch in a padded postbag? (I’ve been reading some stories of goods being shipped there being badly damaged).
Also, should I just send blank postcards (for the image on the card, like Kangaroo, Koala Aussie scenes…) or should I add personal messages?
You are truly a good man my friend! I wish the World had many, many more like you! You know I mean that sincerely! And you ARE a better man than I am!
Hmmm! I just had a thought… What if I get a group of Aussies together to send a well packed gift box of smallish Aussie stuffed toys, Koalas, Roos, etc? With a book or a poster of what they are etc.? I support the Zoo & have for decades, I know they could help with that! I’ll ask… 😀
PS: What is DLMS? Oh! How old are the kids?
The kids are 4 to 7 years old. K-2 mean kindergarten to second grade, and they will all be in one classroom with one teacher for the three levels. They attend the David Louis Memorial School [DLMS] but the postal service abbreviates everything. The important bit is the postal code which is unique for that box at that post office. For you this is the Outback and the inhabitants will generally be Native Alaskans.
The post cards are the best idea for you. The tourist kind with animals and some geographic details so they can find your city on a map. It isn’t the number of post cards, it is the sending location. Most package shippers and postal services will refuse to send to a Post Office Box address, which is why you shouldn’t attempt a package. Mail is delivered probably once a week by small plane, just like the Outback. Radio and satellite phones are the connection to the outside world.
Got it! Thanks.
I’ll see what I can organize on Friday. 😀
I posted a pinned tweet about this thread:
https://twitter.com/Kryten_42/status/1108381625153396736
Thanks for that. Teaching at little schools in the middle of nowhere is hard. There is minimal access to the outside world. I’m not claiming that the outside has all that much to offer everyone compared to living in a village on the Yukon River with hunting, fishing, trapping, gold panning, farming, and gathering, but people should be allowed to choose for themselves.
There are people who enjoy KFC chicken more than muktuk, but they won’t know if they don’t taste both 😉
Hey Bryan, will the post office box accept the Legos? I have to go to the Walmart today anyway. Dog food, ya know! Even if I don’t have time to feed myself, the puppies get theirs. Sometimes I look up at 3:00 in the afternoon and realize I haven’t even eaten yet. lol.
Kryten, when I saw this post I was hoping you’d send cards from Australia. Wow, on the other side of the world, they will really enjoy that.
You guys are great!
The more I think about it, the Postal Service must send packages to PO Boxes. My grandparents lived in a small village in New York and everything went to the post office. The same for the post offices on base, you only get a PO Box in the military. I think it’s everyone else [UPS, Fed Ex, etc.] that can’t send to PO Boxes.
I just verified that, and yes, that PO Box address is good for packages sent via the USPS.
Got it! I didn’t get to any shopping done today, so I’ll be on that tomorrow. They’re going to have more legos than they will know what to do with. Go #ugly dogs!
They will share if they get an overage – it’s what Native Alaskans do. Don’t forget a note or post card telling them where you live. Knowing someone who lives in a distant place makes that place real.