For more than three decades, Vicky Haist has made sure Oxford Village residents and businesses received their bills, letters, holiday cards, newspapers, magazines and of course, junk mail.
Now, the mail carrier is preparing to hang up her bag Oct. 30 and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
‘It’s a new chapter in my life,? said Haist, who’s worked at the Oxford Post Office since 1984. ‘It’s time to move on, give the younger people a chance to come into the workforce.?
She will miss her customers and she will most definitely miss her coworkers, who have become her extended family.
‘This group of people here has been very supportive,? said Haist, who got a bit choked up thinking about how they’ve all stuck together through thick and thin. ‘They’ve helped me out in times of need and times of stress.?
When Haist first started, her village route consisted of approximately 900 customers.
‘I don’t think I could do 900 stops anymore. The older you get, the slower you get,? she said. ‘Looking back, how could I do 900 stops in eight hours? It’s just mind-boggling.?
Today, she has 641 active customers including part of downtown Oxford.
‘Even now, it’s a struggle some days to get all the mail out ? like the day after a holiday,? said Haist, who’s lived in Oxford Township since 1979.
One of the highlights of her postal career has been her tireless commitment to the annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger food drive, which takes place on the second Saturday in May.
She’s coordinated the food drive on a local level since its inception in the early 1990s.
‘This has been a passion of mine,? Haist said. ‘My children have been involved with it. Now, I’m getting my grandchildren involved in it. It’s something that makes me feel fulfilled.?
Haist has three grown children, Dean, Todd and Lori, all Oxford High School graduates. She also has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
All of the food collected through the Oxford and Lake Orion post offices is used to stock the shelves of the Oxford-Orion FISH pantry, which provides free groceries to people in need living in Oxford, Orion and Addison townships along with a small portion of Oakland Township.
‘It doesn’t go anywhere else,? Haist said.
This year’s drive collected 38,392 pounds of food for FISH.
‘It’s just so heartwarming to see how much people care,? Haist said.
Even though she’ll be retired, Haist plans to continue to take part in Stamp Out Hunger by serving as the food drive director for Branch 320, which consists of 12 post offices including Oxford and Lake Orion.
‘Now, I’m going to be even more involved,? she said. ‘It’s just been one of those things. It gets under your skin and into your heart. You just have to do it.?
How else does Haist plan to spend her retirement?
‘Everyone asks me that,? she said. ‘I’m not planning anything really big yet.?
She’s not going to sell her house. She’s not going to take any round-the-world trips. She’s just going to relax for a while.
‘I’m going to stay in this community,? Haist said. ‘For the first six months or so, I’m just going to sit back and see how things go. It’s a new chapter and I’m not sure how things are going to be. I just have to figure out where I’m going from there.?