July 19, 2020 | Vanessa Lillie, The Providence Journal
I was the annoying person with a zillion packages in the post office line. A woman and her adorable son were at the window next to me. She only spoke Spanish and was using the translation function on Google to explain that she needed a post office box. Having nothing but time as my 27 packages were being inputted, I tried to help.
The woman, “Ella,” had moved to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. She and her 1-year-old son had just been tossed to the streets by a “loco” uncle, she told me. A police officer connected her with an agency that placed Ella and her son in emergency housing.
She needed a post office box for insurance paperwork for her son, because she wants him to get his boosters and see a doctor for a check-up. But to open one at the post office, you have to have a piece of mail with your name and address on it. Something she obviously does not have. Click here to read more…