Our World: Delivering the daily daily

Photo by Manuel

Cathy Devins a newspaper carrier for the Naples Daily News bags papers while on her route through Village Walk in Naples Fl. Manuel Martinez/Staff

It’s 12:30 in the morning and while most of Naples has already closed their doors and gone to sleep, Cathy Devins’ night has just begun.

Devins has worked as a newspaper carrier for the Naples Daily News for nearly 23 years, covering the same route each and every day, 365 days a year. This is not your grandfather’s paper route; it’s a delicately orchestrated machine that relies on timing, speed and a lot of experience.

Many people sign on as carriers and within weeks leave, complaining about the hours, late nights and the stress, but not Devins — she has in some ways mastered the art of delivery. In a world where everything comes wrapped in a pretty package, hand delivered to your doorstep, few might guess how it all comes together, a single paper crossing dozens of people’s hands before arriving at your home.

In a small industrial park off Radio Road, a few dozen paper carriers gather outside a warehouse anxious to get their night started. Almost everyone is chain smoking cigarettes, one after another, while preparing their cars and vans for the night’s delivery. Everyone knows everyone and as the night progresses you start to feel a sense of family and friendship, some spanning more than 20 years. But as the first truck arrives, the talking and laughter abruptly stop and the race against the clock begins. It’s almost competitive the way everyone vies for a space in the line to receive their route. The sooner you get your papers the sooner you get on the road.

Devins is responsible for two routes, one in the Vineyards and the other in Village Walk. Between the two routes, she delivers 1,200 Naples Daily newspapers and 600 specialty papers, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Financial Times and the New York Post. The papers arrive at the warehouse on giant pallets; each carrier is allocated their corresponding amounts. As you look around the warehouse there is a flurry of activity — no one has time for small talk, everyone is serious and focused on getting on the road.

All of the papers delivered at this point have to be hand bagged by the carriers either in the adjacent warehouse or on the road and each carrier has their style and philosophy about how to get the job done the quickest. Some carriers travel in pairs, some work alone, while others like to get everything done before they leave and others do the bagging on the road. Regardless of how they work one thing remains true for everyone — the paper must arrive on time. In fact, every carrier is responsible for every paper on their route and penalties are given to those whose papers arrive late, wet or not at all.

Regardless of the stresses of the job, Devins says, “I love this job, if I didn’t I wouldn’t do it. I started it to make some extra money during Christmas for my kids and now I do it for my grandchildren, and here I am 23 years later.”

Devins has a large white van that she has taken the back seats out of and at night this van is transformed into a mobile paper distribution center. The car is stained black from years of ink rubbing off onto the carpet and upholstery that complements the strong smell of ink that never seems to fade.

As she leaves the warehouse parking lot, she casually begins to bag her papers for her route while she simultaneously drives with her legs. She’s a machine. It’s amazing to watch how quickly she is able to move through her route with both precision and accuracy. She is able to bag, drive, read her charts and deliver 1,800 different papers at multiple locations in less than three hours.

This skill was not learned overnight. She said it took 23 years to achieve and a lot of missed papers. Devins loves her job and customers so much that every year she personally signs 1,800 Christmas cards to each home. She has a sense of pride and commitment to her work that you rarely find anymore.

“I haven’t taken a vacation in nearly 10 years,” she said. “I can’t afford to let somebody do my route because you’re responsible for it. So if someone else messes up, I’m going to get charged for it and my route’s so big it’s just too overwhelming. I would have to have three people take care of it.”

Despite the chaos and the stress of the night, and with the clock always ticking away, she’s always smiling.

“I love it, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Devins said.

So next time you pick up your paper, think about the dozens of carriers who came in contact with it — and the love that goes into every one.

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Connect with Manuel Martinez at www.naplesnews.com/staff/manuel-martinez/