If you are a home delivery subscriber, you should have received a letter that says The Columbian is moving to all-mail delivery of our print edition beginning Tuesday, Jan. 2.
This is nothing particularly new for the newspaper business nor for The Columbian. Several other Northwest newspapers are delivered entirely by mail, and we’ve been delivering thousands of copies by mail for a while now.
There are a few reasons behind this trend. Contracted delivery carriers are in short supply and the situation is not expected to improve. Contractors have to pay for their own fuel and vehicle repairs. That’s reduced their profit. And not every contract delivery driver wants to be bound to work specific hours and specific days, like newspapers demand. Drivers for ride-share or food-delivery services set their own schedules.
In short, postal delivery is now the most reliable option to get the print edition to subscribers’ homes.
There are some other advantages. We’ll save a little on overhead costs, which we will reinvest into our newsroom. You won’t have to go out into the rain or in the dark to get the paper off the driveway. And there are environmental benefits from reducing vehicle trips and eliminating single-use plastic bags.
The main disadvantage is that folks who like to read a print edition with their early morning coffee will be disappointed. I’m one of those people. But I’ve become used to looking at The Columbian’s ePaper on Mondays or when I am traveling. If you’re a print subscriber, ePaper access is included with your subscription. You can read it using your web browser at epaper.columbian.com, or navigate to it from our web page or our app.
No changes are being made in the newsroom as a result of this conversion. No matter how you access our journalism, we’re committed to giving you the best source of local news and information that you can get anywhere.
Helping People in Need
Here’s a longtime Columbian tradition: Asking readers to donate to our People in Need Fund. It’s safe to say that generous Columbian readers have helped thousands of people over the 44 years this program has been running.
This year, we’re working with The Salvation Army’s Adopt a Family program, providing gifts and the makings for a holiday meal to local families who would otherwise do without. Here are just two examples of families in need:
A two-parent household is managing two jobs, along with caring for three children. The kids would like headphones, games, a doll, and sports equipment, and mom and dad really need work clothes and laundry detergent.
A single mother is struggling after an accident totaled her car and resulted in medical expenses. Her two young children have special needs. She is hoping for clothes and educational toys for them, while she needs cleaning and laundry supplies.
You can learn more about the program, and specifics about the other 60 families that can use your help, at www.columbian.com/adoptafamily.
There are four ways you can donate:
Send a tax-deductible check made out to The Columbian’s People in Need Fund in care of The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, 610 Esther St., Suite 201, Vancouver WA 98660. Or, use one of the postage-paid envelopes inserted into The Columbian or our sister paper, the Camas-Washougal Post-Record.
Donate via credit card at the community foundation’s web page, www.cfsww.org/people-in-need. (A credit card transaction fee applies.)
Drop off donations of toys or food at The Salvation Army, 11018 N.E. 14th St.
