The brokenness of the Vashon Post Office continued last week, with no end in sight for the beleaguered workers serving the public in a job that has become increasingly impossible.

According to postal spokesperson David Rupert, island postal employees are now working overtime, seven days a week, to try to get out from under the massive amount of package deliveries to Vashon — a number that equals approximately 2,500 per day.

How many people are actually delivering mail on Vashon these days? A dwindling number. According to The Beachcomber’s latest count, there are only two or three local mail delivery employees left on staff, as well as a handful of temporary employees called in each day from other communities.

There are many responses possible from islanders to this situation, but one of them should never be expressing anger to these employees, or any other workers at the Vashon Post Office, who have been tasked with an impossible job.

We recommend, instead, the following suggestions culled from a list prepared by Vashon-Maury Island Community Council, along with our own ideas.

1. Take an immediate break from ordering items that can be purchased locally, or are non-essential. We recognize that package delivery is a lifeline for those who are elderly, disabled and their caregivers. Others must receive important medications by mail. But too many others of us have simply fallen into the habit of ordering too much online. We all need to reassess how we consume goods, and what the externalized cost of our shopping habits may be.

2. Contact Vashon’s elected representatives to inform them of the extent of the postal problems on the island, tasking them to work with Seattle-based Amazon, as well as other shippers, to create solutions for our failing post office. They will respond.

“After seeing the comments about deliveries on the island, I was able to get a hold of folks at Amazon on this issue,” State Senator Joe Nguyen said, in an email to The Beachcomber on Dec. 19. “We had a productive discussion and they are well aware of the situation now. It’s not an easy fix but I’m hopeful that now the issue has been raised they’ll be able to figure out a solution soon. The ongoing mail delivery issues are extremely frustrating, especially around the holidays.”

Contact information is readily available online for State Senator Nguyen, State Rep. Eileen Cody, State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal.

3. Get a bigger mailbox: Vashon’s Ace Hardware, in cooperation with the Vashon Post Office and Vashon Community Council, is now selling jumbo, UPSP-approved mailboxes for $39.99 — a discount from boxes normally priced at $49.99 and $59.99. The price is an in-store special only. A jumbo-sized mailbox will save precious time for postal workers and keep your packages dry and hidden from public view.

4. Make it easier for temporary postal staff to deliver your mail by putting up reflective address signs, made by Vashon Island Fire & Rescue. These signs will help postal employees find your house and mailbox in the dark, and will also help emergency responders find you when you need them. Order online at vifr.org/address-sign, at a cost of $25 each, with $5 additional for a post to put them on.

5. Provide meals and snacks for Vashon’s temporary postal employees as well as the permanent staff at Vashon Post Office. A Meal Train has been organized by the wife of a current carrier on Vashon — sign up at mealtrain.com/08g8v4.

6. Reduce congestion at the post office by preparing your packages for mail at the Vashon Library Mailing Center — set up with a USPS-approved scale, a computer and printer set-up for creating mailing labels, tape, and other supplies. Supplies for this service have been supplied by Friends of the Vashon Library.

7. Put your complaints to USPS, Amazon and other carriers in writing, and ask for solutions that go beyond band-aids and lip service. A general email address for complaints is usps.force.com/emailus/s; a general phone line is 1-800-ASK-UPS. Or write to Consumer Affairs, United States Postal Service, 34301 9th Ave. S, Ste. 304, Federal Way, WA 98003-7091. Describe delivery problems to Amazon Logistics, by emailing Amazon-Delivery@Amazon.com, calling 877-252-2701, or sending a letter to Amazon Logistics, P.O. Box 81226, Seattle, WA 98108.

It’s up to us, now, to make our voices heard. Vashon is small but mighty. Let’s help solve this crisis.