U.S. Postal Service Kicks off Letters to Santa in New York City

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to Attend

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the U.S. Postal Service:

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121128/DC20652)

What: Celebrating its 100-year anniversary, the Postal Service's Letters to Santa program has made holiday dreams come true for children in need for decades. This year, the time-honored tradition kicks off at the largest Letters to Santa location in the country, inside the famous James A. Farley Building.

Who: Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General USPS
Pete Fontana, Chief Elf, Operations, Postal Holidays, USPS
PS-33 schoolchildren

When: Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 11 a.m.

Where: James A. Farley Post Office, 481 Eighth Ave., New York City
Enter at the front entrance on Eighth Avenue at 33rd Street

Background: Letters to Santa is a letter adoption program enabling members of the public and charitable organizations to respond to children's letters addressed to Santa Claus

New York City's "Operation Santa" opens to the public Dec. 5. Potential Saint Nicks can adopt letters 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and on Thursdays until 7 p.m. Customers will be asked to provide valid identification and sign official Operation Santa organization or individual participation forms before being allowed to select letters for adoption.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.