It’s plain to see... Matt Ross loves his job.
“You’re the last stop for the post office, right? Whether they mess it up inside the building or something got put somewhere else… it’s my job to get it there, ya know?”
The tricky part is keeping track of where to place all of the mail at each address.
“Mail slot, milk boxes, side slots, garage door slots, mailboxes, in the tree, on the side, over here,” Ross said.
He traces his 2025 Postal Humanitarian Award directly back to his former neighborhood routes.
“I am definitely receiving this honor due to all of the customers I had in the Sedgewick and Lincoln Park area. They are the ones that propelled me to get this award. I just thought about making a difference.”
Ross admits he’s constantly thinking about how he can inspire others.
“The ability to do that while I’m out here doing this, that’s good. I like the nice warm days where it’s kinda quiet… can only hear the birds and you can organize your thoughts and figure out… set some goals and accomplish them and get the mail delivered all in one day,” he said.
He likes to encourage people in Syracuse neighborhoods to spruce up their yards. Ross helps build community in other ways; one of his fondest memories is gathering and donating funds for a Westcott Community Center van for seniors.
“They were able to acquire that van a couple months later. That van is going til' this day. I see it driving around. It brings a smile to my face every time I see it.”
Customers are undoubtedly drawn-in by his charismatic personality. Ross made it his duty to cheer-up his postal customer Kelly Habegger as she recovered from surgery at her home.
“I have three pictures that he painted and he’s just a nice man… helpful, kind, always looking to help somebody.”
Ross estimates he’s made about 1,000 acrylic paintings by using everything other than a traditional paint brush
“Marble paintings, spin paintings, drop paintings. balloon paintings, sponge paintings. I’ve painted with a string, with the world’s smallest leaf blower, I’ve painted with beads, I’ve painted with a dust pan,” he said.
One of his best friends’ mother, Joanne Harding, introduced him to painting five years ago.
“I told him if we had a building or something that we could rent out or possibly just get for a few hours, we could collaborate and invite some kids in to just show them something they could create on their own,” Harding said.
Other times, Ross likes his role as a positive mentor. For instance, the day he observed a troubled student breaking pencils at a Syracuse middle school.
“I stepped in the counselor’s office and I told Josh that pencils are art supplies and we value art and art supplies and I showed Josh my acrylic paintings that I made. Art is a form of expression and therapy.”
Ross found out the impromptu and candid advice he gave in his postal uniform worked when he returned to the school two weeks later.
“He actually painted me something. I have two paintings in my art gallery to this day. I don’t know where he’s at, I don’t know what he’s up to.. but, Josh I got your paintings in my gallery kid and I appreciate everything you did to paint those and I know that you looked at art differently after that day and I appreciate it,” Ross said.
It’s not the first time Ross tried to help youth or families. He once noticed school report cards with a motel’s address. He asked school officials why and found out the families were homeless and they wouldn’t be receiving any Christmas gifts. The answer upset him so much, Ross collected his customer tips, and added his own money, and came through in a big way delivering gifts… even the trees themselves to families in need.
“They empowered me and gave me the currency to do so. I applied all of it and used it to the best I could. And in the end, seven kids were able to get Christmas that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. That means a lot to those parents, it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the people who donated to me.”
Ross estimates he’s recycled $10,000 back into the community.
He gave up delivery routes in Sedgwick and Lincoln Park neighborhoods after his grandparents passed away.
“I couldn’t deliver mail at a place where my grandparents used to live and it not be them. It hit too close to home and I moved on. But, I have a lot of long lasting memories from all my old mail customers and I have a lot of respect and long lasting relationships that I built over there.” .
Ross says his grandparents would be proud of his Postal Humanitarian award… and no doubt the goodness he carries out in every special delivery.
