Below are some suggestions on what can work well when putting together a military care package for our deployed soldiers.
Popular Items:
- Magazines
- Puzzle Books
- Baby Wipes
- Disposable Razors
- Socks
- DVD’s and more DVD’s (guy movies)
Practical Items
- Clorox wipes, Baby wipes – if your guys are in the field – these are great!
- Razors, shaving cream, after-shave lotion
- Shampoo, conditioner, soap or body wash
- Mouth wash, deodorant
- T-shirts, underwear and socks – monthly
- Eye drops, especially for those in the desert
- Chapstick, Lip balm
- Sun block, Skin-so-soft (Avon), Lotion
- Dental floss, breath mints
- Baby powder, Foot powder
- Combs /brushes
- Cotton balls
- Liquid hand sanitizer
- Nail files
For Females
- Feminine hygiene products (Tampons, panty liners)
- Hair bands, hair clips, hair gel
- Nail polish, Nail clippers, Q-tips
- Small mirrors
- Body sprays
Don’t Send
- Don’t send pressurized items (Shaving cream, etc…)
- Don’t send chocolates (May melt all over package)
- Some post offices will limit anything liquid – check with your post office!
- Bulk quantities of religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith
- Items for the personal use of the addressee are permissible
- Pork or pork by-products
Healthy Snacks
- Granola bars, power bars, dried fruit, Chex mix
- Canned food: soup, chicken, tuna, sardines
- Summer sausage
- Oatmeal
- Salsa
- Instant soup
- Fast food condiments (Hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper packets, relish, Mayo)
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Dry cereal. (The small, individual serving boxes stay very fresh.)
- Kraft Easy Mac
- Homemade Cookies – boxed & ziplocked
Just for Fun
- Send batteries. It sounds simple, but people forget.
- Stamps, paper and envelopes with a nice writing pen might inspire a few more letters home
- A stress ball
- Phone cards
- Paperback book or magazines, jokes and comics
- Disposable cameras
- DVD’s
- Hats (Baseball), Bandannas
- Send board games – the ones they have made into key chains
If they’re gone over a holiday, do up one box with just holiday stuff. - Be creative!
More Ideas
- Puzzles, Yo Yo’s, squirt guns, Frisbees, dart boards
- Small flash lights
- Hackie sacks, Jump ropes
- Electronics hand-held games
- Post cards from your home state
- Journals
- Handmade items
- Radio head sets, Portable CD players
- Always write letters
- Make a miniature scrapbook
- Foam footballs and basketballs, the miniature size. These will be used constantly!
- Bible or inspirational booklet – only a few at a time
- BE CREATIVE!!