October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the U.S. Postal Service is once again reminding customers that they can make a difference—one letter at a time.
Through the purchase of the Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp, customers can directly contribute to the ongoing fight against the disease. Priced at 90 cents, these self-adhesive stamps cost slightly more than the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce postage rate, with the difference helping to fund vital medical research.
Each year-round sheet of 20 stamps serves as both postage and a symbol of hope. Since its first release in 1998, the stamp has generated approximately $98 million for breast cancer research, making it one of the nation’s most successful fundraising initiatives.
“Here in Port Washington, we are ready to fund the fight to find a cure,” said Port Washington Postmaster Dominic Wong. “With every stamp sale, we are one step closer to stamping out breast cancer.”
The Breast Cancer Research stamp was the first semipostal stamp in U.S. history. Congress authorized its creation in 1997 to allow the public to contribute to breast cancer research through postage purchases. Under federal law, 70 percent of the funds raised go to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent to the Department of Defense’s medical research program.
The legislation was most recently renewed under the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Reauthorization Act of 2019, extending the stamp’s sale through 2027.
The special stamp’s enduring popularity is a reflection of the nation’s ongoing commitment to fighting a disease that affects millions of Americans each year. It also represents the postal service’s unique ability to mobilize communities around important causes.
“Our team in Valley Stream is dedicated to spreading awareness for breast cancer research,” said Valley Stream Postmaster Bernice Sinclair. “Every year we decorate our lobbies and spread the word about the postal service’s fundraising stamps. These stamps raise money for causes such as breast cancer research and are available for purchase right now as well as year-round.”
The Breast Cancer Research stamp is one of four semipostal stamps offered by USPS. The others include the Save Vanishing Species stamp, first issued in 2011; the Alzheimer’s stamp, released in 2017; and the Healing PTSD stamp, issued in 2019. Each stamp supports a different charitable cause in the national public interest.
The stamps are available for purchase at post offices nationwide, online at usps.com, by mail order through the USA Philatelic catalog, or by phone at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724).
For postal customers, the initiative provides a simple but meaningful way to help fund research and raise awareness. Whether mailed on letters or collected as keepsakes, these stamps carry a message of hope and unity across the country.
As Wong put it, every small act counts with one stamp at a time.
