Imagine driving 40 miles round-trip just to pick up your mail. That's the reality for some residents in Loma Rica after the town's only Post Office shut down earlier this year.

Community members held a meeting at a local church on Tuesday to discuss the impacts and try to bring it back.

"People who haven't been here in a couple of months come in here and say, 'I want to mail this,' and we're like, 'Sorry.' So they have to go all the way to Marysville to do that," said Georgia Williamson, a manager at Loma Rica Market.

A rural town with no post office — that's the reality after the contract between the United States Postal Service and the newly renovated Loma Rica market was terminated in January.

"The USPS came and pulled out our Post Office after having it for 35 years, with no notice, no meeting for anyone," said Jackie Spencer, a concerned resident.

Spencer is spearheading the effort to get the Post Office back. She said the shutdown was sudden, and she's concerned for the town's aging population.

"The elderly, like I say, they cannot get out all the time to go to town," she said. "It's too difficult sometimes, and it's just not right. So I just had to speak up."

With a few hundred signatures already in hand, Spencer hosted the community meeting Tuesday at the church across the street from the former Post Office.

USPS claims that customers were notified in January and were provided alternative access at the Marysville Post Office.

"If nearby USPS facilities can meet local service needs, or if a contract no longer provides a sufficient value, USPS may decide to make changes which best fit our business objectives," USPS added.

The owner of the Loma Rica Market said the previous contract with USPS was with the previous market owner, and he said that they didn't want to work with him on a new agreement.

"What wasn't right was just coming and taking everything and trying to keep it hush hush when we were doing the best we could. We had a lot of customers who were happy," said Angela Roubal, a manager at Loma Rica Market.

The market employees who ran the Post Office say the sheer volume of mail kept them very busy, showing the need for a Post Office in the area.

The nearest Post Office is about six miles away in Browns Valley, but residents say that's hard for their aging population to get to and that facility is starting to get overwhelmed.

"What I'm thinking about is Christmas time, too," said Spencer. "I'm trying to get their attention and get the Post Office back. We want a permanent, full-service Post Office."