AUSTIN, Texas — The United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its new Love 2023 Forever stamps at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) Thursday morning.
Every year, the USPS releases a new "Love Forever" stamp a month before Valentine's Day as part of the "First Day of Issue Ceremony." For the 2023 season, USPS opted to have the theme of the stamp honor the cats and dogs people love to shower with gifts and hugs year round.
"Evoking feelings of warmth and playfulness, each stamp shows a cute and cuddly animal resting its front paws on a big red heart. Sure to add a bit of whimsy to your valentines, these adorable stamps are also suitable for use on letters and cards throughout the year," a press release from the USPS states.
Animal lovers can pick between either a puppy or a kitten leaning against a big red heart to send mail to their loved ones.
USPS held a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. on Jan. 19 in an outside tented area of the APA! parking lot. The beloved Austin nonprofit was selected by the USPS for the reveal due to the theme of the stamps.
"At Austin Pets Alive! the majority of the dogs, puppies, cats and kittens on campus were once on euthanasia lists in other shelters," USPS said on a webpage for the event. "They have approximately 350 adoptable animals on campus and approximately 1,100 animals in foster care today. They recently celebrated the 100,000th rescue since their nonprofit was founded – a demonstration of LOVE in action."
Judy de Torok, corporate affairs vice president for the USPS, served as the dedicating official at Thursday morning's event.
APA!, which is located at 1156 W. Cesar Chavez St., will be closed for the day Thursday. It will return to normal business hours on Friday.