With all of the pink swirling around lately, there’s no doubt that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But what Baldwin County residents might find surprising is that their local post offices are actively supporting the cause.

That cause is the effort to sell the 55-cent Breast Cancer Awareness stamp. According to Elberta Post Office Officer In Charge Cindy Bloch, the stamps are sold in sheets of 20 for $11.

“Breast-cancer research gets $1.80 for every sheet we sell,” she said.

According to U.S. Postal Service information, 70 percent of the net profit goes toward the National Institutes of Health and the remainder goes toward the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense.

“The first semipostal stamp in U.S. history, the Breast Cancer Research stamp, was issued at the White House on July 29, 1998 and features artwork of a mythical goddess of the hunt by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore,” the information states. “To date, the stamp has raised more than $77.8 million for breast-cancer research.”

Last year, the Summerdale Post Office raised its fair share.

“We sold $4,361.50 in stamps,” Postmaster Carol Miller said. “Of that, $793 went to breast-cancer research.”

Coming in not far behind that sum was Elberta Post Office.

“Last year, we were in the top five (in Baldwin County),” Broch said. “We sold 3,000 sheets of stamps.”

Post offices in Baldwin County have a friendly competition each year to see who can raise the most funds each October. Some pull out all the stops in an effort to get attention and entice customers to spend a little extra on their stamps for a good cause. An example is at Summerdale, where postal workers don pink shirts and wigs all month.

“We’ve been doing it about three years,” Miller said.

The idea started with hair extensions, then went to painting hair pink last year. This year, it’s wigs, which offers the most versatility.

“We can do a variety of wigs,” Miller said.

For the Summerdale postmaster and her staff of eight, the motivation is to help in efforts to cure cancer.

“We all have friends and relatives that have been impacted by breast cancer,” Miller said.

In Elberta, Bloch has decorated a tabletop tree entirely in pink — lights, ribbon, skirt, cap for a tree topper — everything. Situated at the base is even a picture of her mother.

“My mother is a breast-cancer survivor,” she said.

If that’s not enough draw, Bloch offers postal customers an extra incentive to purchase the special stamps.

“When they buy a sheet, their name is entered in a drawing,” she said.

And the prize?

“I can’t tell you that!” Bloch said with a smile.

But she did say last year’s prize was a Breast-Cancer Awareness themed tote bag.

Bloch added that October isn’t the only time the special stamps are available.

“We sell them year-round,” she said.

However, it’s an ideal time to join the National Breast Cancer Foundation with its mission of awareness and research.

“We’re just very passionate,” Miller said.

For more information about Breast Cancer Awareness stamps, visit usps.com or drop by your local post office.