Local delivery workers receive gifts, praise during pandemic

Sonoma County native Danny Ramirez has become quite a celebrity to Windsor resident Tiffany Elias and her family of four.

No, he’s not a famous athlete or the star of a new reality show. Ramirez is a celebrity because of his job with the shipping company FedEx.

He has become famous because with every package he delivers joy.

In normal times, families like the Elias bunch might not be as thankful for special deliveries. They might not even stop to consider the person bringing them their packages. But for the past eight months, as the family and the rest of Sonoma County has sheltered in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have appreciated Ramirez as a beacon of hope and a regular connection to the outside world.

“We are getting deliveries at least once a week, and my kids love when they see his big truck and (Danny) walking up to our door to deliver our packages,” said Tiffany Elias. “We have always appreciated the hard work delivery drivers and postal workers have done for us, but even more so (now).”

The Elias family isn’t alone. From Petaluma up to Cloverdale, as Sonoma County residents reflect on gratitude during this holiday season, many of them are stopping to recognize the postal carriers, package couriers and other delivery people who have brought them simple joys during this unusual year.

Delivery workers certainly appreciate the love.

“It puts a smile on my face to see people being so grateful,” said Ramirez, who grew up in Windsor and Healdsburg and has worked for FedEx for 10 years. “It’s nice to know I can make a difference.”

Ramirez, whose title technically is manager, added that customers express their appreciation in different ways. Some make a point of coming out and saying, “Thank you!” once he has dropped off packages and returned to his truck. Others leave signs of gratitude.

Some have left him gifts, from home-baked cookies to extra rolls of toilet paper.

“The funniest gift was Ziploc bags with Clif bars, crackers, candy, hand wipes and hand sanitizer,” he said.

Santa Rosa resident Bob Baker is another delivery driver who spreads joy. Baker is a courier with UPS and is known around the north county for his ebullient personality, the tunes he hums as he goes about his job and his entertainment side business as a ringmaster-like character named Oops, who also makes balloon animals.

Baker’s regular route includes downtown Healdsburg, and merchants there said they look forward to his arrival every day. Serena Lourie, co-owner at Cartograph Wines, went so far as to call Baker’s entrances “high points” of her days.

“We're delighted to see Bob come through the door because he is always smiling, has really fun impressions and has a joke or song for us,” she said.

Baker is so beloved in Healdsburg that he won the coveted title of Mr. Healdsburg back in 2015.

He said he sees his job as more than just a courier: it’s an opportunity to have a positive impact on all his customers, every single day.

“When you walk into situations with packages or for pickups, you get a sense of what’s going on with people. You get to live with them and encourage them. You get to see life, death, birth, divorce and just stand and be with them,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to do that.”

On the east side of Santa Rosa, near where the Glass fire wreaked havoc last month, postal carrier Henry Cao brings the same sensibility to his work. Cao delivers mail on Route 938, which encompasses about 500 homes, including more than 70 homes that burned along Los Alamos Road.

This year Cao said he was particularly grateful for the opportunity to serve, since so many of his customers have endured unimaginable grief. He even tried to give back to those in need by housing some evacuees for a short time and donating water to first responders.

In the days after the fire, Cao said he noticed customers went out of their way to thank him, appreciative that amid the chaos and destruction, the mail was still coming.

“It’s a comfort,” said Cao, who emigrated to California from Vietnam in 1989. “I’m happy to deliver.”

Other delivery drivers cultivate a vibe of gratitude, as well. Erin Gore, CEO of the Garden Society, a Cloverdale cannabis company, said driver Jose “Chuche” Hernandez is legendary among regular customers who look forward to their deliveries of edibles and pre-rolled joints. They send him their thanks in the form of air hugs and elbow bumps.

Then, of course, there’s Bill VanEsselt.

VanEsselt delivers Community Supported Agriculture boxes for FEED Sonoma, a Petaluma-based consortium of small and local organic farms. He usually stops at 40 to 50 houses on a shift.

VanEsselt noted that people often rush to the door to claim their boxes when they see his truck, yelling words of gratitude and saying they wish they could shake his hand.

“I (feel) privileged and grateful to deliver CSA boxes to people’s homes,” he said. “There are a lot of people seeking healthy local food from local farms, and supporting our local farms is essential. I’m grateful to be a part of the food business, and it gives me great joy to deliver nutritious produce to people.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been revised to correct a geographic description of the Glass fire, which burned into eastern Santa Rosa.