Care Packages

A care package is a little bit of home that says, "I love you...I’m thinking about you." With just a little planning, they can be a great link over the distance. Care packages are also morale builder during the deployment. Speculation and excitement run throughout the entire shop when just one package arrives. Below are some helpful hints to ensure your care package arrives in good condition.

 

How To Send Care Packages

Keep the packages small (no larger that a shoe box). Larger packages take longer to be delivered and are more cumbersome for your Marine to haul around. Smaller, more frequent packages are your better option. The U.S. Postal Service offers FREE boxes for Priority Mail. You can also order free boxes from the USPS online store (for use with Priority Mail shipping ONLY). The recommended size is the #4 or #7 box.

 

Package Tips

Use plastic bags with zip-style closures for everything. They keep out sand and rain. Resourceful Marines are re-using them for all sorts of things. The quart size is great to keep their wallets and personal photos with them, in one of their many pockets and they stay dry.

The following is a list of desirable items for deployed troops:

• Gum, Lifesavers, Mints (blister pack gum is best because of the intense heat)
• Fruit: individual serving size cans of fruit, dried fruit (Note: Plastic fruit cups with the plastic seal are not recommended as they can open in transit; individual-size cans are preferred.)
• Nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, trail mix
• Power bars, protein bars, nutritional bars
• Beef jerky, beef summer sausage (non-perishable; labeled USDA Beef)
• Single-serving bags of snacks, crackers, chips, snack mixes
• Pop Tarts, cereal bars, "milk & cereal" bars, granola bars
• Ramen Noodles, Cup-O-Noodles serving cups
• Ravioli and other canned ready-to-eat meals (canned or Styrofoam single serving are best
• Tuna lunch kits (includes foil pouch of tuna, crackers, and condiments in each single-serving kit)
• Canned sardines, smoked oysters
• Torengos® nacho-style chips and canned nacho cheese dip
• Jalapeño Velveeta® and crackers

Pork and pork by-products are not allowed to be shipped to most Middle East combat locations. Please send non-perishable foods only. Single-serving package sizes are preferred; large packages won't stay fresh and are harder to ship. If you can stuff it in your pocket and it's not going to spoil or melt during the summer season, it's a good thing to send!

• Coffee, coffee mixes, tea
• Hot cocoa mix
• Lemonade mix, Kool-Aid mix, Tang, Iced Tea mix
• Gatorade mix (powdered only)
• Crystal Light (or other brand) "On The Go" flavor packets (these come in a box of several sleeves of flavoring that can be added to a 16-20 oz. water bottle)
• Sugar and creamer packets for coffee

You cannot ship liquids. However, the Marines do need flavors to add to the drinking water provided to them. Please send pre-sweetened or sugar-free flavoring mixes in small or single-serving packages. During the colder months, hot beverages are in great demand.

• Deck of cards
• Hacky Sacks, Tennis Balls
• Hand-held games
• Game boy Advance games
• Movie DVDs (new or used; original only)
• Music CDs (new or used; original only)
• Portable DVD Players
• Batteries (AA are most requested, then AAA)
• Cigarettes, chew, cigars
• Tactical Duct tape: military green, tan or black
• Electrical tape
• Super glue
• 72" Bootlaces (brown or tan preferred)
• Leather man All-in-One Tool
• Sandwich size, Quart-size and 1-gallon Ziploc plastic bags
• Small travel pillow or inflatable pillows
• Disposable, instant hand warmers (during the winter months only)
• Sun block
• Throat Lozenges
• Eyeglass wipes
• Gum, Lifesavers, Mints
• Eye Drops (to relieve dry eye, not redness)
• Blistex, Chapstick, Carmex (in stick-tubes rather than tubs)
• Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, Pain Relievers (small containers) Saline spray/drops for sensitive nasal passages Q-tips

Lip balm is in high demand in desert areas. The lipstick-style tubes that you apply directly to your lips are preferred over the "tub" style. Eye drops are to relieve dry eyes; please avoid sending eye drops designed to remove redness as those will increase dryness and irritation caused by sand and storms in a desert climate.