nastyleg
11-24-2009, 01:37 PM
Top Suggestions For Care Packages
Food:
# Breakfast-type foods and drinks are the most needed.
# Instant and regular coffee.
# Coffee makers, hot plates.
# Hot chocolate packets (instant, in packets, add to water).
# Campbell's chunky soups, chicken, beef, etc.
# Canned tuna.
# Canned Chef Boyardee ravioli, beefaroni, spaghetti & meatballs, etc.
(Note: In the 'Zip-Top' or easy to open cans.)
# Canned fruit - that comes in the small flip top cans. (Put zip-top cans in a plastic bag!)
# Beef jerky, Slim Jims.
# Canned nuts.
# Canned chips, like the potato sticks or the small canned Pringles, Doritos, etc.
# Cereal bars, granola bars, Special-K bars, etc.
# Pre-sweetened powdered drinks, Kool-Aid, Gatorade, etc.
# Lil Debbie snacks, brownies, snack cakes, etc, nothing with icing that will melt.
# Packs of candy, gum, trail mix, etc.
Personal Hygiene Items:
# Antibacterial wipes - lots of these!
# Small tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, shampoo.
# Eye drops - the cleaning kind - because of all the sand storms...(Put in plastic bag!)
# Small containers of Tylenol, Motrin, etc.
# Band Aids, cough lozenges, small packs of Kleenex, shower-to-shower powder.
# Flip flops - shower shoes - so they can air their feet out when they get a break.
# Anti-fungal for their feet - athletes foot creme, foot powder - no aerosol bottles.
# Combs, paper, pens, envelopes, lip balm, eye drops, q-tips, nail clippers.
# Remember the many women soldiers there! So Female hygiene needs are a must.
Entertainment:
# Mini-Christmas trees, other holidays items.
# Beanie Baby toys for the soldiers to give to kids.
(Now you have a good reason to loose those things...)
# Comics and paperback books, crossword puzzle books.
# Magazines; Cars, Sports Illustrated - preferably the swimsuit edition !! :)
# Sports stuff (baseballs, footballs, old gloves, frisbees...)
# (Basics: Small and light, uses AA batteries, nothing rechargeable.)
Misc
# Hand warmers! (The chemical types in a packet, foot warmers also)
# AA batteries - this is the only battery they are using - keep anything you send to use these.
# DEET insect spray.
# Disposable cameras.
# Flashlight - small, black or dark green, AA battery.
# Pens, paper, envelopes. (NO stamps! They get free mail.)
# Phone cards (Not as needed as in the beginning of this, but good for emergencies.)
# Small or inflatable pillows, self-inflating camping air mattress.
# Small space heaters.
# Space® "All Weather" blankets. (Find the ones with olive drab, tan or camo on one side.)
# Space® "Emergency" blankets. (These are much smaller, easy to keep.)
# (Basics: Again, think small and light weight. Be SURE to put items that might even possibly leak into a few zip-lock bags! ie. toothpaste, shampoo...)
# Duct tape (Sparkie's Idea)
# Leatherman Universal Tool (Sparkie's Idea)
You can donate items at your local USO office or go to your local veterans advocate groups (American Legion, VFW..) for more information. Blue star moms/Gold star moms is another great group.
While deployed the care packages I received gave me such a great morale boost around the holidays. Not that I was not getting them from my family, but to know that someone out side of my family cared meant sooo much to me.
Food:
# Breakfast-type foods and drinks are the most needed.
# Instant and regular coffee.
# Coffee makers, hot plates.
# Hot chocolate packets (instant, in packets, add to water).
# Campbell's chunky soups, chicken, beef, etc.
# Canned tuna.
# Canned Chef Boyardee ravioli, beefaroni, spaghetti & meatballs, etc.
(Note: In the 'Zip-Top' or easy to open cans.)
# Canned fruit - that comes in the small flip top cans. (Put zip-top cans in a plastic bag!)
# Beef jerky, Slim Jims.
# Canned nuts.
# Canned chips, like the potato sticks or the small canned Pringles, Doritos, etc.
# Cereal bars, granola bars, Special-K bars, etc.
# Pre-sweetened powdered drinks, Kool-Aid, Gatorade, etc.
# Lil Debbie snacks, brownies, snack cakes, etc, nothing with icing that will melt.
# Packs of candy, gum, trail mix, etc.
Personal Hygiene Items:
# Antibacterial wipes - lots of these!
# Small tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, shampoo.
# Eye drops - the cleaning kind - because of all the sand storms...(Put in plastic bag!)
# Small containers of Tylenol, Motrin, etc.
# Band Aids, cough lozenges, small packs of Kleenex, shower-to-shower powder.
# Flip flops - shower shoes - so they can air their feet out when they get a break.
# Anti-fungal for their feet - athletes foot creme, foot powder - no aerosol bottles.
# Combs, paper, pens, envelopes, lip balm, eye drops, q-tips, nail clippers.
# Remember the many women soldiers there! So Female hygiene needs are a must.
Entertainment:
# Mini-Christmas trees, other holidays items.
# Beanie Baby toys for the soldiers to give to kids.
(Now you have a good reason to loose those things...)
# Comics and paperback books, crossword puzzle books.
# Magazines; Cars, Sports Illustrated - preferably the swimsuit edition !! :)
# Sports stuff (baseballs, footballs, old gloves, frisbees...)
# (Basics: Small and light, uses AA batteries, nothing rechargeable.)
Misc
# Hand warmers! (The chemical types in a packet, foot warmers also)
# AA batteries - this is the only battery they are using - keep anything you send to use these.
# DEET insect spray.
# Disposable cameras.
# Flashlight - small, black or dark green, AA battery.
# Pens, paper, envelopes. (NO stamps! They get free mail.)
# Phone cards (Not as needed as in the beginning of this, but good for emergencies.)
# Small or inflatable pillows, self-inflating camping air mattress.
# Small space heaters.
# Space® "All Weather" blankets. (Find the ones with olive drab, tan or camo on one side.)
# Space® "Emergency" blankets. (These are much smaller, easy to keep.)
# (Basics: Again, think small and light weight. Be SURE to put items that might even possibly leak into a few zip-lock bags! ie. toothpaste, shampoo...)
# Duct tape (Sparkie's Idea)
# Leatherman Universal Tool (Sparkie's Idea)
You can donate items at your local USO office or go to your local veterans advocate groups (American Legion, VFW..) for more information. Blue star moms/Gold star moms is another great group.
While deployed the care packages I received gave me such a great morale boost around the holidays. Not that I was not getting them from my family, but to know that someone out side of my family cared meant sooo much to me.