How to send care packages to our troops  

Remember in the past the care packages we put together to send to our troops when they were at war? We are still doing that, but just not for the soldiers that we personally know. I have sent four soldiers boxes in the past year and it is so gratifying to assemble the items in these boxes. The care boxes are so appreciated by our troops. I have received thank-you e-mails as well! Here are some tips to get you started.

I pick up items at the dollar store, wal-mart, drugstores, garage sales, flea markets, and use freebie sites such as: http://www.freestufftimes.com/ to collect items throughout the year.

At this site you can click on the “Where to Send” tab and you will see emails including photos from the soldiers on how things are going and the items that they can use. http://www.anysoldier.com/ I usually pick the soldiers that need the items that I already have on hand or can easily pick up ... and I pick one that has not had a lot of requests for their address. The "anysoldier.com" site will send the names and address of two soldiers per day.

The guys and gals over there live by the barter system. Once a package comes in, if there is something in it they want, they trade things with each other. Do not take the original packaging off any food items sent overseas. The soldiers are told not to eat anything homemade or not in commercial packaging. This is for their safety.
The Post Office will send/deliver to you several sizes of boxes and tape. Call 1-800-610-8734, press number 1, press number 1, a live agent will come on and you tell them you would like CAREKIT04. They give you a customer number so that you can use it in the future as well. These boxes are sent with the flat rate. You can also put your items in a box of your choice.

These items listed below are what the troops ask for:

*Indicates items in high demand

Stationery:
Paper
Playing Cards
Board Games
Hand held games*
Puzzles
Crayons
Coloring Books
Magazines

Clothing Items:
Socks White*
Socks Black*
Hand Warmers
Skull Caps

Snacks:
Microwave Popcorn* (butter and kettle korn)
Chips (in plastic containers, like pringles)
fritos
Peanuts
Sunflower Seeds
Slim Jims*
Beef Jerky*
Salsa (Hot)(Medium)(Mild)

Toiletries:
Razors
Razor Blades
Shaving Cream
Deodorant
Bar Soap
Shampoo
Hand Sanitizers
Hand Lotion
Chapstick*
Sunscreen*
Foot Powder
Baby Powder
Feminine Products
Bug Repellent*

Meals:
Cup-A-Soup (no pork)
Microwave Meals*
beanie weenies
poptarts

Candy:
M & M’s (plain) (peanut)*
Hard Candy
Gum

Breakfast Foods:
Cereal
Granola bars - chewy & crunchy
Flavored Oatmeal Packets

Sandwich Spreads:
Peanut Butter Plain (in plastic container)
Peanut Butter Crunch
Jelly (strawberry and grape (squeezeable)

Condiments:
Mustard
Tabasco Sauce
Taco Bell sauces (in the packets)

Crackers:
Peanut Butter Crackers
Cheese Crackers
Ritz Crackers
Tuna/Crackers
Chicken Salad/Crackers
Velveeta Cheese*
Ritz crackers*

Fruit Pies: (small)
Blueberry
Apple
Cherry
Lemon
Eclair

Baked Goods:
Fudge (store bought)
*Rice Krispy Treats
Brownies Plain (w/nuts) (w/o nuts)
Pudding (chocolate) Other Flavors
Doughnuts
Cookies:
Store Cookies
Oreos*
Oatmeal w/raisins w/nuts w/nuts/Raisins
Choc. Chip w/nuts w/o nuts

Drinks:
Kool-Aid (in stick packs)*
Juice Pops
Powdered Drinks
Tea
Coffee (regular) (decaf)
Cider Drinks
Cocoa

Sports Equipment:
Footballs
Baseballs
Soccer Balls
Basketball
Table Tennis equipment

Miscellaneous:
Music CDs
DVD movies
PS2 games
gameboys
D AA, AAA Batteries*