BALTIMORE COUNTY — You might think it would take something major to bring people outside in the sticky July heat to sign a petition.
But the residents of Fort Howard just have one simple request.
"We just want what everyone else has - we want to be able to go to our mailbox even if it's at 7 p.m.," said Jessica Hammonds of Fort Howard.
People here have never had mailboxes outside their home; the community doesn't have at-home delivery service.
That wasn't a big deal a week ago. But that was before neighbors learned they were about to lose their only way to get mail.
The post office here is set to shut down September 30.
The closest one is in Dundalk.
"To go to Dundalk is an absolute nightmare," said Brian Hall of Fort Howard.
"If you live here, most residents, they walk here. A lot of them don't have transportation, they're senior citizens, and the thought that they would have to drive 14 miles round trip to get their mail every single day is absurd," Hammonds said.
Hammonds tells us - the community still has not received any formal notice from the postal service about the closure.
She heard about it from her local postmaster.
Fortunately, Congressman Kweisi Mfume got official word about the closure and now he's taking action.
"I put in a call just a few moments ago to Mr. Dejoy, the Postmaster General, so that he and I can have a heart-to-heart about this," Mfume said.
Simply put, the congressman says this isn't fair to the people of Fort Howard.
"They're on the right side of the issue. So if they're working on a petition, please get me a copy. If I have to deliver it myself to the postmaster general, I will," Mfume said.
The USPS tells us the closure is happening because the lease to the building is expiring. Congressman Mfume says that's a pretty unusual reason.
The postal service also says it's working on a plan to continue mail service in Fort Howard, and will notify customers there as soon as a decision is made.
Mfume along with Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin have also sent a letter to Dejoy seeking more answers.
They asked Dejoy to respond by September 5.
