A few simple tasks that have made a big difference for one of their customers have helped two Zelienople letter carriers win an award.

Ann McNulty and Laura Lively have been named 2005 Western Pennsylvania Postal Carriers of the Year by the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

The women were recognized for helping Keith Stratton, who has multiple sclerosis, by doing such simple things as wrapping his mail with crisscrossed rubber bands and placing packages on a counter inside his home.

"What did I do to deserve such nice people?" asked Mr. Stratton, who is legally blind and uses a wheelchair.

Mr. Stratton, 49, has had multiple sclerosis for 25 years. He rides an electric scooter up his gravel driveway to get his mail and then carries the mail to his house in a basket on the scooter.

Having his mail tightly bundled helps him because if the items were loose and fell, he could not reach to pick them up.

When he gets a package, Ms. McNulty puts it on a counter inside his house because "he can't pick it up off the floor," she said.

Ms. McNulty took over the rural route that serves Mr. Stratton from Ms. Lively about two years ago.

Ms. McNulty wanted Ms. Lively to receive the honor as well because Ms. Lively showed her how to help Mr. Stratton.

Kathleen Kappel, director of Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, presented the award to the women March 3.

"We hear how kind [you are]," Mrs. Kappel told the carriers. "We hear how many extra things you do."

The date of the award presentation marked the 75th anniversary of Congress' approval of the Pratt-Smoot Act, which established the National Library Service for the Blind. The service eventually expanded to assist physically handicapped people as well.

The Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, in Pittsburgh's Oakland section, is part of the Library of Congress. It delivers free books on audiocassette and Braille and large-print books throughout the United States.

The Carnegie branch serves 36 counties in Western Pennsylvania. The collection has more than 50,000 books on tape, more than 10,000 large-print books and dozens of magazines on tape such as Good Housekeeping, National Geographic, People and Consumer Reports.

Mr. Stratton uses the free service. He particularly likes novels by Stephen King and magazines such as Time and Sports Illustrated.

"I never read books much in school. So now I really enjoy sitting and listening to books," he said.

"I used to be an [auto] body man and painter," he said.

Ms. Lively, 44, and Ms. McNulty, 46, live in Harmony.

Ms. McNulty has four children, including an 11-year-old daughter who has a seizure disorder, is blind and cannot speak.

"She comes to work every day smiling," Ms. Lively said of her colleague.

According to Ms. McNulty, "All of the carriers in here have done special things for customers."

She said that receiving the award "inspires me to think about what else I can do."