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How to Send Care Packages to Military Personnel
Hello! Thank you for taking
the time and effort to do what you can to support our troops and provide
positive news from home. And thank
you to all of the friends and families who are sacrificing to send their loved
ones overseas for our freedom and safety. Finally, I want to say a
special thank you to those who serve here and abroad.
[skip
to most frequent question]
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You will want to allow 6
weeks for packages to arrive to most overseas locations.
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- GREAT NEWS!
USPS offers a flat rate domestic mail Priority box - also good for APO
or FPO addresses - that is approximate $8.95 regardless of weight.
The best part is the box itself is free (you must use the box provided) and can be picked up at a post office
near you. You can check
current postal rates, print shipping labels, and get more information at
USPS.
Thank
you, Congressman Trent Franks, for sending out the following notice:
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Discount
Shipping to Troops Overseas from USPS: The
United States Postal Service has launched a program called “America
Supports You,” in order to show their support for our brave men and
women in uniform serving overseas.
The program offers discounted rates for anyone to send large
boxes with supplies and special items to our troops abroad.
The
USPS is to be gratefully commended for taking the initiative to provide
support to our noble men and women in Armed Services, as well as to
their friends and loved ones who send care packages. It is difficult to
express the boost in morale and encouragement a soldier experiences when
he or she receives mail or packages that give them a taste of home and
remind them how much we are all indebted to their service.
Here is some information on the new program:
The discount applies only to the new "Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate
Box," which normally carries a $12.95 price tag for shipping.
However, when the 12-by-12-by-5.5-inch box is sent to an AFO or FPO
address, a $2 discount applies, dropping the cost to $10.95.
The new boxes will be available in post offices nationwide on March 3rd.
The new boxes can be ordered in advance from www.usps.com/supplies.
They are also available by calling 1-800-610-8734.
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Important:
If you
are sending mail to non-family members,
send only postcards, or contact
your local Red Cross (see
http://www.redcross.org
to find your
local organization) to find out how to help.
The military has requested, for the safety of our soldiers and sailors, that
people wishing to support our troops do so through the following sites (March 2003
- still current December 2007)
(
Defense Bulletin )
:
-
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/
Whether you want to send a care package to a
soldier, donate airline miles to help reunite returning military men and
women with their families, support scholarship funds or send support to
wounded service members, on this page you will find over 150 non-profit
organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families.
-
http://freedomcorp.gov/
volunteer resources including
care packages and national and international disaster relief aid. Also coordinates National
Service Programs and Volunteer Service Initiatives.
-
Other fantastic organizations include:
http://www.packagesfromhome.org
Be involved in sending packages to our troops
SENDING
A CARE PACKAGE:
Steps to send:
- Use US Postal Service
Request SAM Mail postage
The 2 largest dimensions added together should not exceed 60 inches. ($2.00
per box if greater)
- Packages may not exceed 70 lbs. (Some zip codes
have lower limits)
- Packages may not exceed 130 inches in combined
length and girth. (This means if you have a package that is 100" in length
and 40" when you measure around it, you cannot send the item)
- All packages must be sent via the
U.S. Postal
System. The post office also requires companies or individuals to hand
deliver packages being sent to APO or FPO addresses (APO/FPO addresses cost the
same to ship as domestic mail).
Firearms, alcohol, perishable foodstuffs and certain hazardous items also
are restricted. Each zip code has a more detailed list of the restrictions for
certain types of products.
ADDRESSING THE CARE PACKAGE
(please print clearly)
The fictitious addresses listed below
are samples intended to illustrate how packages addressed to specific soldiers
would look. Please do not use these or similar addresses to send items to
service members you do not know. Items addressed to "Any Soldier", "Any
Service Member" or "Any Sailor" or even "A Recovering
American Soldier" will be destroyed per the Department of Defense
March 2003 Service Bulletin.
SAMPLE ADDRESS ONLY:
PFC Gomer Pyle
CMR 345, Box 12334
APO AE 09250
or send a postcard, not letter (for
security reasons letters and packages are discouraged) to:
SAMPLE ADDRESS:
Your Sailor or Marine's name
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN
CVN 72
FPO AP 96612-2872
(this is a sample; other
ships zip codes available at:
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/lists/ship-fpo.html)
SAMPLE ADDRESS:
Your Marine
15TH MEU (SOC) CE UNIT
UIC 43609
FPO AP 96608-3609
(this is a sample from:
http://www.dynamite-it.com/sept11/varina.htm which is no longer online, but
we still want to credit the source)
Print your return address
Your Club
Your name
Your address
Your city & state
What NOT to Send
NO Pork
NO Chocolate (it will melt)
NO Tobacco
NO Pornography or suggestive material
NO Raw Fruit or Uncooked meat
NO homemade cookies
NO religious material
NO glass or glass bottles (as the recipient of a broken salsa jar, I can tell
you that it is not a pretty thing)
NO weapons of any kind
CUSTOMS
Fill out a customs declaration form (there are
two forms available, based on weight, check with the postal clerk to find out
which one you need)
Your name
Soldier name
Contents (Snacks, books, etc)
Quantity, Weight, Value
Be sure to mark the item as a gift.
A 15 pound box will cost around $15.00-1st class
mail. Priority mail costs more, but includes the box
(GREAT NEWS!
as of December 2004
USPS
is now
offering a flat rate domestic mail Priority box - also good for APO
or FPO addresses that is approximate $8.95 regardless of weight). You can check
current postal rates at
http://postcalc.usps.gov/
Put a letter in the box
- Mention that you are proud of the job they are doing
to protect America and other countries!
- Thanks for putting your life in harms way and
defending the rights of all people.
WHAT OUR TROOPS NEED
Letters of encouragement
to our soldiers.
They want to know that we support their efforts.
They want to know that we are behind them.
Positive news from home will go a long way to
cheer up a lonely soldier
["The more positive the message the better!! Care should be taken not to refer to
anything that may cause grief or uneasiness to the troops. Our
guidelines are simple. All we ask is that you keep your correspondence on a
cheerful note. Some of our favorite letters and cards include thanks to the
soldiers for their service, protection and selflessness. It is very encouraging
for them to hear they are thought of and prayed for. On cards we ask that no
glitter is used, it has been a problem in past mailings. Glitter pens are fine
to use."
http://www.lettersfromhomeprogram.org/]
Please make sure that all food items are packaged in
the original manufacturer's packaging,
or it will not get past the inspector.
- Powdered Drink Mixes (Tea, Crystal Lite, Gatorade,
Wyler's Lite, Country Time Lemonade or Raspberry Lemonade,) Packaged Cookies,
Chips, Pretzels, Tuna in a pouch, cheese spread in a can, Ramen noodles,
summer sausage, Snack cakes, Beef jerky, Gum, Nuts, granola bars, dried
fruit, trail mix, pistachio nuts, microwave popcorn, Tootsie Rolls (candy and
pops), tuna, Peanut butter or cheese spread, Triscuits etc., gift sampler
packages. ("Everyone gets cookies and brownies, which is great, but real food
is better"* "The most requested and LOVED items I have
sent thus far are the Crystal Light water additives....they are WONDERFUL and
can be added to a bottle of water."* 1)
- Canned meats
- Tabasco sauce, garlic salt, etc to put on your
government issue food.
Other items our soldiers need:
[It is nice to Ziploc-brand style
bag anything you can to prevent sand from getting in]
- Fly traps, fly swatters
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- Disposable cameras, men's and women's white socks,
underwear, t-shirts
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- I have it on good authority (i.e. from a soldier
with a great appreciation for clean socks) that white tube socks are truly
appreciated (black, dark brown, or dark green are ok as well and closer to
uniform standards - but they don't care much about color as long as they are
clean and dry). White briefs (underwear), however, harbor bacteria.
If you are comfortable enough sending underwear, silk boxers or spandex are
your best bets (and lighter to mail).
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- Face cleaning pads, Moisturizing cream, Lip balm,
Purell or other sanitizer, Ziploc bags, Specialty shampoos and conditioners,
Toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, shampoo, razors [check regulations]
deodorant, sunblock, foot powder, nail clippers.
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- AA & AAA batteries
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- Shoe polish (black)
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- Books/magazines & videotapes (new or old) ("Muscle
& Fitness, Flex, GQ, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Time and ESPN are
often requested"* - I add: remember the women, too, but be aware of fashion
magazines that may be too risqué for Arab nationals) (mysteries, action,
drama and science fiction are highly read).
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- Deck of cards, board games (chess, checkers,
dominoes, Parcheesi, Yahtzee, Uno, cribbage, jigsaw puzzles, Risk,
Battleship, playing cards), hand held video games (batteries, too):
"Getting a nice
crisp pack of cards to replace the frayed, floppy ones you've been using is
wonderful."*
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- Black sunglasses (no markings, wrap around is
great)
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- Soccer balls, baseballs, footballs, Frisbees, ball
repair kits (patches, mini-pumps)
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- Tobacco: "I don't use tobacco, but I always take
some cans of copenhagen with me. These are worth their weight in gold when
the addicts run out, heh."* [note: there may
now be restrictions on this, ask your soldier/sailor first]
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- Crossword Puzzles: these are great while standing
by to stand by
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- Pens, Paper, Envelopes, Stationary: Pens all get
lost and stolen, and all of this can be hard to come by
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- Drugs: "I take plenty of ibuprofen, allergy pills,
Imodium, gas pills, etc because just getting an aspirin can be a royal pain
in the butt. Add antacid to that, as well. It all gets mooched or eaten
eventually."* [again, there might be
restrictions on this]
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- AA batteries for Walkman (have I mentioned
batteries?)
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- Popular music CDs
(My high school buddy developed a 5 year crush on a
female vocalist during a previous conflict, because she was the only female
voice he heard the entire time he was there)
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- Family memento (watch, bracelet): Priceless
[if you are close to the soldier] [Be aware that
things can and will get lost either in the mail or in moves]
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- Home team jerseys
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- Pocket hand warmers, knit caps, wool socks
[ok, so it is possibly not that cold in the summer months, but
ask your soldier/sailor - nights in the desert and mornings on ships can get
quite chilly]
Nail polish for female soldiers ["Although they cannot wear make-up
etc. while on duty - they are still girls and LOVE nail polish (for their
toes!) I also print out copies of the daily crossword puzzle on line and make
a few copies and include them in a letter. Gives 'em something to do for the
price of a stamp." *1]
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- (11/06) I'll add high quality lotions which I've been
told are a wonderful luxury item to female service members - especially
since they can't wear makeup.
- Phone cards
Postcards and letters are fantastic!
If you can't send a package, send a postcard (APO
addresses cost the same as mail inside the US) or an e-mail.
On a Final Note: The most common question
we get is how to find the name of a service member to send a package or letter
to. Before you go out and buy a bunch of things on this list, check with
the organizations at the top of this page. They may already have the
ability to get these items discounted and make your money stretch further for
the care packages (meaning that the soldiers, sailors, guard, & marines get
more stuff that they need for the same amount of money).
If you really want to make it personal, talk to
friends, colleagues, classmates, members of your church, your local military
base public relations, or neighbors - and help friends or family of someone you
know.
Also, consider that the families of service members
(parents, spouses, siblings, children) might be left without their handyman,
grocery shopper, toy fixer, seamstress, landscaper, housekeeper, painter, cook, baker,
Christmas light hanger, listening ear, tax preparer, chauffeur, etc. while
their loved one is overseas. Sometimes the things we do here help our
service members more than the things that we send.
HOME/INDEX
While this site is intended for supporting our
overseas personnel, I know that many of you also want to support those who have
lost so much due to natural disasters here at home (including, no doubt, many troops and their family members). To that end, we'd like to offer the following:
Disaster Relief Links:
Salvation Army
Red Cross
MORE WAYS TO HELP WITH
DISASTER RELIEF:
SOURCES:
www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030325-4.html
http://www.army.mil/operations/iraq/faq.html
(#6)
http://www.localsloveamerica.com/brian/postoffice1.html
http://www.oidelivers.org/
http://www.adoptaplatoon.org
http://www.west-point.org/parent/wppc-st_louis/ICarepackages.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/701471/posts *all quotes are
from this page written by a soldier (see
this
page for an important follow up to
certain comments in this source)
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/lists/ship-fpo.html
http://www.militarycity.com/
http://www.snopes.com/
Thank you for reminding all of us about not sending any anonymous letters -
including to "A Recovering American Soldier" at Walter Reed
*1 - website feedback received from K-- S---- (name
withheld for privacy)
For help or
questions:
CONTACT US!!!
If you notice broken links, please let us know so we
can provide the most up to date information.
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