[Bendensteel]

My girlfriend heads a non-profit organization that sends 30 boxes a month overseas.
Everything that was mentioned is pretty much what we put in the boxes every month.
Socks and razors and chapstick, I think are always in there.
We will soon be working on christmas boxes...There will be 30 boxes with 20 stockings in each box. (so those that are on her list can share with others) Usually we wrap board games and each box get those...they get little trees with all the trimmings. Cards from the school kids. (that's a good one)...the boxes have to be sent approx 6 weeks before Christmas in order for them to get there in time. This is a very costly endevor...Just mailing the monthly boxes is approx 22-25 dollars per box. POSTAGE. I'm not sure what the Christmas boxes cost, they are WAY bigger.
She does numerous fund raisers thru the year to pay for all of this. She's been at it for 5 years I think, maybe more. Her son just went back for his 3rd tour.
Anyone interested can visit her web site campboxes.org
Oh, yeah Wipes is something else that ALWAYS goes in the boxes.



God Bless our Troops and keep them safe.

[shepherd406]

Copenhagen, Skoal, cigarettes & they will love you forever. Haha

Throw in a dirty magazine & you just may have a new hubby on your hands.

I don't know about some of the grunt guys, but the bases are pretty well stocked, unless a huge unit comes through. Even TQ in Afghan had a decent PX.

Oh & be careful with phone cards!! Some only let you call certain phone companies & stuff. Just a tip!

[jumper_pie]

ooo i just saw this thread. i just came home from Afghanistan THIS month, yay! but the best things that we got were snacks! where i was at we had so much toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, and sun screen that we were swimming in it! :S i think that soldiers in iraq are more prone to need sun screen more than we needed it in afg.
snacks are amazing, as well as soda drinks because the sodas we got were from europe and they jus dont taste the same. (yes you can mail soda's SECRETLY ) lol
my aunt was a life saver!
ideas:

snacks (oreos!)
magazines
stuffed animals
drinks
pencils/markers
coloring books
calling cards
seasoned themes decorations



ok my mind went blank :S

[CJnBucksMom]

I'm excited about this thread. My hubby's last deployment I was the queen of carepackages LOL Him and his friends loved me. Aside from the general hygiene items here are some other ideas that they liked....

I did a lot of 'themed' boxes for holidays. I always sent one of those singing cards you can get at wal mart too....Like for Thanksgiving I sent one that had turkeys on the front and when you opened it the card 'sang' another one bites the dust. They dismembered my card and rigged it up to the Humvee door so everytime the door opened....LOL Just little fun stuff like that.

Cakes in a jar were another hit. I always sent icing with it too and it made it there okay. With your cookies always put a slice of bread in the bag before sealing it. It helps to keep them nice and soft and they don't get stale as quickly.

A lot of the guys have little personal fridges (like the kind in dorm rooms) so in the summer I sent freeze pops. I know someone who managed to get Italian ice sent over without it leaking out when it melted but I was never brave enough to try it LOL

Any kind of home cooked food that you can can or jar (relish, apple butter, jellies, jams), they all loved those.

Also, year before last for Xmas (I think) we had a girl scout troop who made over 50 cards for the Soldiers in my husband's unit and I sent those over to him and they handed them out and hung them up. Everyone loved it and reading them made me cry LOL

There are a lot of Soldiers who don't get anything from their families or who have no family to send stuff so I always sent extras to my hubby, be it cards, gifts, food, whatever, so that those guys and girls could get stuff too. Sometimes I'd send it in his package or just send another package and tell him to give it to someone who needed a little cheering up. The ones who got them really appreciated it.

Another idea...for Xmas I sent a little miniature tree with all mini decorations and lights and hubby and his roommate had their little individual trees and stockings. I have a friend who sent her hubby a pink xmas tree LOL Poor guy couldn't not put it up and those of us back home got a good laugh at the pics of all of those soldiers crowded around their little pink tree. = )

Oh! Drink mixes are great too. I can't tell you how much Tang I sent my hubby (he's weird lol) but also those little individual drink mixes, cool aid oh and energy drinks.

I'd also send chips (the variety packs in individual bags so they get something for everyone), cookies, chocolate (I know people say not to but mine never melted, except when hubby left it out in the sun LOL).

Don't bother sending movies/dvd's. They can get them over there by the buttload and a lot cheaper than we can get them here. My husband brought home the entire disney library for like $100 lol BUT I would send mix CD's of holiday music for xmas or when there was certain stuff he wanted to hear. Internet there isn't usually good enough to download songs in any reasonable length of time.

Ok that's all I've got for right now but I'm sure I'll think of more later LOL

[TB4life]

Thanks so much for all the ideas!!

Ok, here's what I'm thinking...let me know if it's a good or bad idea; don't worry...I can take it.

I'm guessing most people send "need" over "fun"...I was figuring that the ones I do would be primerily (sp) "fun", with a few "needs"...Sound OK?

Once again, thanks for y'alls help!

[cowgirlnat]

Dirty magazines are not allowed. No pornographic materials, no large quantities of religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith, no pork or pork by products, and no obscene articles.

http://www.usps.com/supportingourtro...strictions.htm

Alcohol and illegal drugs is another one. Yes, people break these rules all the time, but not knowing who your box is going to could set the receiver up for more trouble than they want. For instance, my husband's troops are sleeping in large tents with absolutely no privacy. If he, or any one of them, gets caught with a forbidden item, they will get in trouble whether they were using it or not. If they turn in the item immediately, they won't get punished, but after being out there for a while the temptation may be more than they can handle. I would be very unhappy to find out that my husband is losing rank because someone I don't know sent him a dirty magazine and he got in trouble for it. These items aren't prohibited because they want to punish our troops. They are out there to represent us and if while out on patrol one of the troops accidentally drops his deck of cards w/naked ladies on them will reflect badly on us. Something as simple as that could make them lose support from a village that they had been working hard to gain the trust of.

The alcohol and drugs are a given. They are in a WAR ZONE!! The last thing they need to be is impaired when the base gets mortared. Tobacco products on the other hand are hot commodities over there and absolutely legal to send as far as I know.

[prairienights]

I thought of another one. Drink powder mixes. I sent my boyfriend a can of Gatorade mix, and he said it's like gold. It's the one thing he won't share with his soldiers, haha.

Anything like those Crystal Lite packets, Fruit Punch, Gatorade....they're just instant powders that you mix in with a waterbottle and you have a much more exciting beverage.

In my next package, I'm going to send a variety of those individual drink packets.

[Jess!]

Originally Posted by cowgirlnat

Dirty magazines are not allowed. No pornographic materials, no large quantities of religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith, no pork or pork by products, and no obscene articles.

http://www.usps.com/supportingourtro...strictions.htm

Alcohol and illegal drugs is another one. Yes, people break these rules all the time, but not knowing who your box is going to could set the receiver up for more trouble than they want. For instance, my husband's troops are sleeping in large tents with absolutely no privacy. If he, or any one of them, gets caught with a forbidden item, they will get in trouble whether they were using it or not. If they turn in the item immediately, they won't get punished, but after being out there for a while the temptation may be more than they can handle. I would be very unhappy to find out that my husband is losing rank because someone I don't know sent him a dirty magazine and he got in trouble for it. These items aren't prohibited because they want to punish our troops. They are out there to represent us and if while out on patrol one of the troops accidentally drops his deck of cards w/naked ladies on them will reflect badly on us. Something as simple as that could make them lose support from a village that they had been working hard to gain the trust of.

The alcohol and drugs are a given. They are in a WAR ZONE!! The last thing they need to be is impaired when the base gets mortared. Tobacco products on the other hand are hot commodities over there and absolutely legal to send as far as I know.

Definitely no pornographic material. It gets done [I sent Mike a little "motivational photo book" one time] but they have to rip/destroy them up before they leave because they cannot go through customs. Mike said they can't have them period.

I would not send things that are not allowed to have. Yes, it sucks for them but like Nat said - they are in a war zone.

[Neven Mrgan]

Before sending your military care package, think of personal comforts that your soldier or sailor may not have access to. Think of things that may make his life a little easier. What about a package of wet wipes? This may be the closest thing they have seen to a shower in days. Even a toothbrush or some chapstick can offer substantial relief and delight to a military man or woman.

Thanks
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