In November 1936, the recently formed Social Security Board contracted with the United States Postal Service to deliver millions of blank social security forms to workers and employers across the country. Recipients were expected to register by January 1st of 1937. In Portland, postal workers delivered 26,000 forms to 2,700 places in which persons were employed. This work was done in addition to their normal work.

On the front page of the Portland Evening Express on Tuesday, November 24, 1936, the paper joked that Portland letter carriers got a little "pre-Christmas practice".