Canada Post worker saves the day after child forgets stamp on postcard to grandma

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Some quick thinking from a summer camp counsellor and a Canada Post worker has reunited a once-lost postcard with its intended recipient.

Daya Modayur, a 12-year-old who recently attended a camp at the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning in Dartmouth, N.S., said she made a postcard for her grandmother while she was away — but despite the hard work she put into constructing the sentimental letter, one crucial component was left out.

“I completely forgot to put the stamp on when I was taking it out,” she said, adding that she decided to make a postcard to return the favour after her grandmother previously sent her several letters while on a road trip.

“I went back in, and the counsellor was like, ‘Here, I’ll make a note for you.'”

Modayur’s counsellor at the camp then made a note and stuck it on a nearby Canada Post mailbox.

“Dear postal worker, at our summer camp we made postcards and one person sent one to their grandma without a stamp,” read the letter taped above the mailbox’s lever.

“If you find it, can you please return it to the MacPhee Centre or use the stamp on the back of this page? We would really appreciate it.”

Wholesome Canada Post interaction pic.twitter.com/80CyrkUDWI — Alex Cooke (@ACookeHFX) July 3, 2024

Shortly after, a response then appeared on the same note.

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“Found it and stamped it. Have a great day!” read the note from an unidentified Canada Post worker.

To Modayur’s surprise, Canada Post located and sent her letter to the desired destination.

“I thought it would kind of just get lost in there,” she admitted.

“It was really nice that guy, or girl, did that.”

Elizabeth Tuck, an executive director at the camp, said she immediately went into “problem-solving” mode when Modayur first mentioned that her postcard was dropped off without a stamp.

“I was like, ‘Maybe we can call Canada Post but maybe the fastest thing is to just leave a note,'” she said.

She said all of the students made postcards, so there were plenty of stamps available for use.

“It’s just sometimes people get really excited and forget,” she laughed.

Tuck said she’s grateful an effort was made to ensure Modayur’s hand-crafted postcard will arrive at her grandmother’s doorstep after all.

“Thank you for taking your time, that was really kind of you,” she shared as a message to the Canada Post worker.

On Thursday afternoon, Global News was able to locate the Canada Post employee responsible for the deed.

Christine Fong, a delivery agent with the postal carrier, said she searched through every envelope one-by-one until she retrieved Modayur’s postcard.

“When I read that a child had sent a postcard from a day camp to their grandmother with no postage, obviously, the first thing I thought when I opened it was to find this missing piece of letter mail,” she explained.

Fong said she’d go the extra length again if she encountered a similar situation in the future.

“To see them there having a day camp and doing things like outreach, it’s a great opportunity for us to connect with our community,” she smiled.

“Just to see that there was a simple request, it’s human decency just to follow through and do what you got to do.”