UPS driver and Poughkeepsie native Jay Lefevre spent the spring distributing vital COVID-19 vaccines across the region.

Now, Lefevre and his fellow UPS drivers are kicking into high gear again for the holiday season.

“My route usually runs about eight-and-a-half, nine hours a day so not too bad," said Lefevre. "I love what I do."

They’re still delivering vaccines, but there are holiday gifts to deliver too.

Lefevre has practically grown up at UPS.

“I’ve been doing this a very long time so I have most of these roads mapped out like the back of my hand,” said Lefevre.

He has nearly two decades of busy holiday seasons under his belt.

”When I turned 18, I became a seasonal helper and that transitioned into me working the night, sort the metro in Poughkeepsie. And when I turned the age of 21, that’s when I became driving,” said Lefevre.

A recent Deloitte survey found 62% of holiday shopping is expected to be done online this year, leaving UPS to prepare for another record peak holiday season.

“We’re already seeing it now. We’re already going out with seasonal helper teams,” said Lefevre.

UPS said they’ll need to hire at least 100,000 workers nationwide just to make sure packages get to their destinations in time for the holidays.

UPS is hoping to hire about 200 workers just for the UPS Poughkeepsie facility alone. But Lefevre doesn’t mind stepping up again, and even working overtime to make sure his customers get what they need.

“Thinking back a year ago, starting off delivering the vaccines, so we’ve been essential workers this entire time too," he said. "So just giving back to the community is basically what we’re all doing and doing our part."

It’s been a tough few years for Lefevre and other essential workers, risking their own safety to make sure their community gets vaccines on time, and now making sure the holidays are bright too. But Lefevre said the sacrifice is worth it.

“Oh my goodness,” said Lefevre. “It’s the greatest thing ever to even tell my children I was a part of the transition to help the community to get its feet back onto the ground. It’s a humbling experience. It really is. To be able to be one of the people to service the vaccines and get these things out to the people, it’s something I'll never forget.”