My husband and a friend recently was deployed to Iraq as civillians attached to military units. My friends and family are wanting to put together simple little care packages for their units and want to try to send one in time for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas.
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A good place to go is http://www.adoptaplatoon.org . Once you join you can send pkgs to the chaplains for distribution and they give out requests for the items most needed by the soldiers.
A friend of mine looked up some information about good items to send as we are in the process of organizing some packages to send as well. Here are a few ideas:
Food Items (bought)
Tea bags
Apple cider mix
Beef Jerky
Trail mix and nuts
Cereal bars
Microwave popcorn
Pop-Tarts
Ramen noodles, Cup-O-Noodles or Cup-O-Soup
Instant Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
Breath mints
Candy (chocolate will melt)
Toiletries
Socks
Zip-lock bags (any size)
Batteries
Unscented lotion
Lip Balm
Toothbrushes and paste
Soap
Wet wipes
Anti-bacterial gel
Razors
Foot powder
Envelopes and paper
Fun Things
Hand-held games
Board games
Things Not Allowed
Pork products
Perishable foods such as fruits, meats, veggies
Some items mentioned that ship well are Chex mix, Rice Krispy treats, date bars, gooey brownies. Generally, moist cookies hold up much better and should be wrapped individually in plastic wrap in addition to putting them into another container.
Hope this helps you get started.
Trudy Powell
Independent Watkins Assoc. #357561
trudypowell@sbcglobal.net (request a catalog)
booksforsoldiers.com/
--they post requests here :)
great people too !
You might want to make up stockings for the troops and fill them with things like chapstick, insect bite prevention towels, hand cream, small pocket size tissues, snack food items, etc. but best of all is home baked cookies and candies. Be sure to select types that will last for a couple of weeks or more. Vacuum pack food items if possible or at least put them in zip lock bags then put them inside containers such as coffee cans, potato chip containers, tins, etc.
Avoid any products with pork in them (not allowed in the country) and also avoid candies or cookies that can't take high temperatures. I also suggest you don't try to send any liquid items. They weigh too much and sure make a mess when spilled and I have even had plastic bottles of shampoo burst. I had a jar of homemade jelly my mom sent me that was wrapped in a tea towel then in a large ziplock then in bubble wrap that arrived broken and the jelly was on several items in the box. What a mess. Use the strongest cardboard box you can find to mail the items and tape them securely. You will also have to provide a detailed list of the contents of the box on the custom slip when you mail the box. When they are shipped, they will probably be placed on a pallet with many other boxes and put on an airplane. If your box happens to be on the bottom of the stack, it might have to bear a lot of weight.
Someone who sews can make a cool bandana with the polymer type filling that can be soaked in water and they would probably be appreciated by all. Just think of what you would want if you were outside working in a hot, dry, dusty climate. Please don't forget to include a card(s) with a message telling them how much we appreciate them. Also include your name, address, and e-mail if you have one so they know who sent the items.
I worked overseas in the middle east and when my family would send me cookies, I shared them with my friends and we were delighted even when they arrive as a bundle of crumbs. We all especially appreciated the home baked items most.
Yvonne
q-tips are a much needed item(they also use them to clean their guns) as are panty liners(yes i know it sounds funny,but they use them inside their helmets to help absorb the sweat) tooth brushes,dvd's, heavy socks, flea collars,
sorry, one other thing... you can get free shipping boxes from the postal service by going to their website and reqesting them. they have flat rate boxes that you can use that only cost $7.70 to mail no matter what the weight.
priority mail should be used as regular mail can take up to a month or more to get to them priority mail is put on planes first then regular mail
http://www.doubledutchgirl.com
http://www.operationuplink.org
http://www.operationsandbox.com
are sites that are willing to send care packages to those overseas
my prayers to you on your husband's safe return. my son will be going there in march of 2006
I use to send my husband (Desert Storm) tuna and the cans of fish fillets, vienna sausages, baby wipes (good when no showers are available for days), canister of pre-sweetened kool-aid (good for canteens),jerky and slim jims, cheese crackers, cracker jacks, nuts of all kinds. Anything but chicken he loved to receive, he got enough of that in M.R.E.'s.
when i was in the Navy, we were told things we could send to the corpsmen that help the marines. you remember those beanie babies that everyone wants to get rid of? well, they are small and collapsable and easy to stuff in a soldiers gear for them to give the children they meet.small things like that help promote good impressions on the people there. helps them not be so afraid of the soldiers.
I am constantly sending items to my troops and I have deployed 3 times myself. Here are some of our favorites:
- Spices (salt, pepper, garlic salt, popcorn salt)
- Individual drinks mixs
- Blank card to send back home (Thank you, I miss you, kids, holidays)
- Holiday decorations
- Anything dorky or funny that will put a smile on our faces
- Microwavable foods (dessert, meals)
Thanks for your support - MSgt Cooper
well,the son has returned from iraq.individual drink mixes are very,very much appreciated. he says it takes 4-6 pkg. to make the water drinkable
does anyone have any good suggestions on homeade recipes of baked goodies to send overseas for the thanksgiving holiday?
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the ideas. My boyfriend deploys to Iraq in June so I was just looking for some things that might be needed and things that aren't allowed to be sent. THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH!
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