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Even well into the 21st century, most of us still love getting snail mail — birthday cards, Christmas tidings, thank-you notes, postcards; we’ll take ‘em all.
Lavelle Black of Portland, Tennessee, is no exception. She made no attempt to hide her disappointment upon hearing that there was not a single piece of mail — not even junk mail! — one recent day.
“What do you mean no mail?” lamented Black to Angela Bell, the owner of Front Porch Senior Living, where Black resides.
Bell couldn’t stand to see one of her residents bummed, so she decided to send out a plea for cards on Facebook. She had no idea if her post would get any traction, but within the week mail was pouring in for all of the Front Porch Senior Living residents.
“Lavelle received 10 cards today and is reading them multiple times,” gushed Bell on Facebook. “You guys ROCK! I cannot thank you enough for sending such love!! Keep them coming!!”
Some of the mail is from locals — friends from church, for example — but a large portion of the messages are from strangers who simply saw the social media request and couldn’t resist brightening up a fellow human being’s day.
Cards have arrived from states all over the U.S. — Kentucky, California, and Virginia, to name a few. The residents even received a box of chocolates all the way from Germany!
Unfamiliar with Facebook, the Front Porch residents were very surprised with the volume of mail pouring in, but they’re certainly not complaining. They created a wall display of the cards and are enjoying the letters and pictures as well. They’re even working on responding to as many of the messages as they can.
“This has just added to our fun that we have daily,” noted Bell. “It just brightens their day that they’re getting these cards in the mail.”
You can add your own card to the mix by sending mail to:
Front Porch Senior Living
115 Sunset Place
Portland, TN 37148
Or try contacting a senior living facility in your area — chances are, their residents would love to receive some day-brightening mail too.
