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Cutting it close

With clock ticking, missing passport found

Smiling woman stands next to USPS delivery vehicle
Norma Hodge, customer services supervisor at Brightwood Station in Indianapolis, said she felt “postal proud” after tracking down a customer’s missing passport.

The day before Chona Taylor was scheduled to leave for a Mexican vacation this spring, the Indianapolis resident was fretting over a serious problem: Her passport hadn’t arrived in the mail.

Fortunately for Taylor, USPS was on the case.

Using scanning data, Norma Hodge, customer services supervisor at Brightwood Station in Indianapolis, discovered the passport had been mistakenly sent to the Carmel, IN, Post Office, where it was then forwarded to the Indianapolis Mail Processing Annex.

Hodge contacted the plant, where employees went to work tracking down the passport.

Around 2:30 the next morning, Hodge received a call at home from Cameron Weaver, a parcel post distribution clerk at the plant.

“He informed me that he had her passport in his hand,” Hodge said.

By 3 a.m., Hodge was back at Brightwood Station, where she called Taylor to let her know that Weaver was on his way to Taylor’s home with the passport. Weaver arrived moments before Taylor got into an Uber to take her to the airport.

“I really appreciate that [USPS] followed through,” Taylor said. “I was so thrilled that I put it on Facebook and everywhere.”

Once Hodge knew Taylor was set for her trip, Hodge drove back home to catch a little more shuteye before starting her work day again.

“The drive home was so sweet. It felt so good that we’re able to live up to our brand. Cutting it close, but still postal proud,” she said.

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