Perham Post Office makes national mark in stamp sales for cancer research

Barbie Porter / Perham Focus By Barbie Porter Today at 2:00 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? PERHAM, Minn. — The Perham Post Office set a goal at the start of October to sell 10,000 semipostal stamps to raise money for breast cancer research. While a typical stamp costs 82 cents, semipostal stamps cost $1 with the surcharge going to the National Cancer Institute and Department of Defense’s medical research program, according to the U.S. Postal Service website. ADVERTISEMENT “We completely sold out on Oct. 29,” Postmaster Krisie Bjore said. “This includes all my offices: Perham, Dent, Richville and Ottertail.” The Perham office sold 15,307 of the special stamps, placing the post office 30th in the nation for stamp sales, and fourth in the district. For comparison, Perham outsold Duluth, the Fargo-Moorhead area and Grand Forks. Bjore shared the post offices in Duluth sold 1,549 stamps. Post offices stretching from Dilworth to West Fargo sold a total of 2,982. The Grand Forks region combined sold 11,521. “Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and the Grand Forks Air Base was our biggest competitor (in the district),” Bjore said. The friendly competition between post offices in the district made a huge impact on the national level. Barbie Porter / Perham Focus “Our district is second in the nation for the most sold,” Bjore said. “Which is pretty amazing, too.” While every stamp sold made an impact, the lead stamp seller at the Perham Post Office was Janice Lubitz. Bjore reported that Lubitz sold 10,197 stamps, placing her 27th in the nation in clerk sales, and fourth in the district. ADVERTISEMENT Lubitz was hesitant and first when her postmaster set a goal of 10,000 stamps. After all, the Perham Post Office sold only two books of the special stamp last year. “I thought, oh gosh, that is high,” Lubitz said. “But then we hit 6,000, then 8,000 and 9,000.” As the post office neared its goal, Lubitz said she took the mission to the streets and visited area businesses. She also credited the idea of offering to deliver semipostal stamps to people along their routes as what pushed her office past the goal. Barbie Porter/ Perham Focus “I hope other post offices look at us and say, ‘You know what, that’s a small office and I think we can do this, too,’” Lubitz said. Lubitz’s daughter, Jessica (Lubitz) Dupuis, was 29 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. Dupuis, a 2001 Perham High School graduate, died in August 2023 at the age of 40. Lubitz said she “feels” her daughter in her heart every day and believes she would be proud of what the Perham Post Office and their patrons accomplished. The Perham Post Office team expressed gratitude to those who purchased a single stamp or several sheets. ADVERTISEMENT “The impact is large and lasting,” Bjore said. “I think this fundraiser shows how much heart this community has.” Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags PERHAM OTTER TAIL COUNTY CANCER By Barbie Porter Barbie Porter is a reporter for the Perham Focus. Email story ideas to Barbie at [email protected] or call 218-844-1447. Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Minnesota Feds 'disallow' $113M in Medicaid funds to Minnesota, citing fraud concerns 26m ago · By Mary Murphy Minnesota 3M settles chemical contamination claims for $7.35B, while admitting no guilt 2h ago · By Brian Martucci / Minnesota Reformer Minnesota Veteran’s lost wedding ring finds its way back to him in unusual manner 3h ago · By Dennis Doeden ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads College UND basketball notebook: Tyler Wagner injury update, National Signing Day 29m ago · By Alex Faber North Dakota North Dakota receives $206M in rural health funds 1h ago · By Staff reports North Dakota US Border Patrol, regional agencies train together 1h ago · By Staff reports Local East Grand Forks Police Department looking at new vehicle purchase 3h ago · By Jordan Rusche