Bonnie was among the first of the Essential portraits documented during the Stay at Home order. As a letter carrier for USPS for nearly 30 years, Bonnie was grateful to continue doing her job without too many changes. “I was thankful to still be working so I could be out in the fresh air,” Bonnie said. “But it was like a ghost town—Businesses were shut down, everybody was home. They mandated masks in the office, some people were getting sick and we got a bit short staffed. I never got sick, and I think not being in an enclosed space helped a lot.”
Early in the summer of 2020, Bonnie was attacked by a dog while on her route. “This dog was in an open garage on a leash, but managed to get out and came charging at me. I carry some of my mail in my arm, against my chest. That’s where I got attacked—he jumped on my chest and bit my hand. You cant stitch a dog bite and it took forever to heal because the bite was so deep,” she said. Bonnie was out of work for two months—she used sick time but never applied for workers’ compensation. During her time recovering, her youngest daughter was living at home while finishing her college education at The University of Akron.
By mid-July of 2020, Bonnie was back to work full time and on the same route. The dog that attacked her was still an active part of the route, which was terrifying for Bonnie. “I was traumatized. I was scared to death to go up to that house every time. If the front door was open, I wouldn’t go near the house.”
Bonnie expanded on how her work has shifted. “Things have really changed, and I don’t think it’s because of COVID. We used to be really respected, we were essential. Now, we are treated badly—not by the community, but by the supervisors. There is a lot of micromanagement. This work used to be about customer service, but now it’s all about the numbers. We are tracked on GPS and heaven forbid we spend more than nine minutes at one location. We can’t even talk to customers anymore. It’s really sad.”
Bonnie celebrated 31 years with USPS in May of 2025. She is eligible for retirement, but will continue working a bit longer to ensure house payments can be managed. As a single mother of two daughters for 23 years, finances had been tight.
When asked about her personal pandemic experience, Bonnie replied, “I can’t remember much, it feels like a lifetime ago. If my mom would have been around during COVID, it would have been really hard. She passed a year before the pandemic. I miss her so much, but I’m kind of glad she was not here during COVID. My older daughter is expecting her first child, my younger daughter has a great job in Cleveland and her own place in Lakewood. Overall we are doing well and although this job has changed, I’m happy I can continue working.”
March, 2020