How to Create An Epic Care Package to Send Deployed Troops

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Handle with Care: How to Create An Epic Care Package to Send Your Deployed Service Member


If you’ve ever had a loved one deployed overseas, you know just how important care packages are. You know because your loved one likely told you how much it helped, as well as how the things you sent were utilized — as reminders of home they hung on their bunk posts or carried into the field, as some unheard of but remarkably resourceful way to fix a wonky table leg, or, simply, as something that boosted their morale and the morale of their fellow troops.

So “the why” is there, present and resounding: care packages provide both comfort and joy to our deployed service members. “The what” is trickier, however — what can you send that will turn your loved one’s dark day into something bright? How can you make your care package epic!?

Going at it alone can be more of a frustrating experience than an enjoyable one. But that’s why we’re here. That’s why this list is here. On the pages that follow, you’ll find suggestions on what to send to your loved one, as well as how to package it. Because, as you’ll find out, the thing they remember most just may be the presentation itself!
ESSENTIALS

-Food

The main thing to consider here is shelf life. Meaning: stick to food items that are either a) dry goods or b) non-perishable. Sadly, something like a bundle of bananas won’t make it unscathed (or fresh) to its destination. Depressing as that may be, trust us, your service member will love receiving the canned pears you send, or the bag of rice. Because, at least when they’re out in the field, they’re eating from a vacuum-sealed MRE; they’ll gladly welcome the change in flavor.

Another important thing to remember when selecting food to send is that, at times, your service member will have limited means to make the food. In other words, sending something that requires a conventional oven and several baking dishes may not be the best option.

Other foods to consider: breakfast cereals, honey, instant oatmeal, boxed and/or canned soup, boxed potatoes, cans of tuna, beef jerky, crackers, nuts, granola bars, raisins, various candies

-Spices

Here’s where you and your service member can get a little more creative — you with the spices you select to send, and your service member with what they select to put on the standard-issued food. For example, if your service member likes a little kick in their food, send them some cayenne pepper. They prefer something zestier? Send some garlic salt. Believe us when we say that they’ll cherish it. Why? Because spices aren’t always readily available to them. Also: spices take up very little room, both in the box you’ll send and in what they’re temporarily calling home.

Other spices to consider: salt, pepper, cumin, lemon pepper, basil, dill weed, cinnamon, paprika, parsley, sage, ginger, rosemary, thyme
★ Send Comfort to Our Troops ★

Practical yet meaningful, comfort and care packages remind our troops that they remain on our minds and close to our hearts. Volunteers stuff each package with the food and toiletries that aren’t always available in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan or the remote outposts of Iraq. Better yet, the packages include letters and drawings from the community members that help supply the contents, adding a small but personal touch that can help boost morale.

Show our military that we have not forgotten about their selfless service and sacrifice!

-Hygiene

Remember when we said that care packages can turn a dark day into something bright? Hygiene is precisely where a shift like that can occur.

While deployed, your service member is physically active and, on occasion, not even a shower is readily available. Dealing with that, as well as with the elements (sun, wind, dust, dirt), can grind a person down. Hygiene products like hand sanitizer or mouthwash can do wonders in making your service member feel more, for lack of a better term, human. Foot powder or ointment will help take care of the irritation their boots keep giving them. A pack of aspirin will make it so they don’t have to go to Medical for a headache. The list can go on and on.

Other hygiene products to consider: deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, chapstick/lip balm, baby wipes, cough drops

-Odds & Ends

We promise: a roll of duct tape can go far. Like, really far. And so can something like headphones, for when your service member feels like being alone for a while with their music. For this section of the care package, think of the moments when your service member could be “in a pinch,” meaning: there’s something they need that wouldn’t be regularly provided by their branch.

Other odds & ends to consider: plastic baggies (for storage), pens, pencils, notepads, can opener, batteries, socks.


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[PrisonerOfHope]

These 5 Helpful Holiday Tips Make Missing A Servicemember So Much Easier…



The holiday season is full of emotions, both good and bad. Many of us will see in-laws, out-of-state family, children, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins… But for those of us who have family currently serving in the military, the holidays can be a sad time. We miss our heroes and wish they could come home to celebrate, even though they’re protecting America’s freedoms. Channeling that sadness into positivity, however, is the key to staying happy all the way from Thanksgiving through the new year. These tips are great for your family and will warm the heart of your servicemember overseas.

We’ve compiled 5 tips to keep the upcoming holidays happy for you and your overseas servicemember!

Tip 5: Letter Chains

Most (if not all) servicemembers love receiving mail from their families during their deployment. But sending a letter chain can help make the holidays special for your family and your servicemember. What you do is write several letters in advance but mail them on separate days. This way they all arrive in a chain on consecutive days, extending the smile on your deployed family’s face. You can write a week’s worth of letters to celebrate Thanksgiving, 12 letters for the 12 days of Christmas, 8 letters for the nights of Hanukkah… No matter which holiday you celebrate, a letter chain can help you stay connected to your servicemember.

You can even get creative and have different members of the family write letters for each day!

Tip 4: Treat Each Holiday As A Single Day.

Oftentimes holidays are celebrated over an extended period of time. Families go on trips, visit relatives, and take time off of work and school to be together. The absence of a servicemember can be particularly hard to bear during these reunions. But it’s important to enjoy this time as well. By focusing on each holiday as a specific day, it relegates the pain of a servicemember’s absence to a single day. Military.com’s handy guide for the holidays explains:

“To help you cope with deployment stress and holiday blues you have to compartmentalize instead of looking at the entire season.”

You miss them everyday, but it’s important to celebrate their place in your life instead of spending all of your time fretting their absence.

Tip 3: Assembling The Ultimate Care Package

Sometimes the best way to let someone you miss them is to send them a token of your affection. For some military families, missing their servicemember is unavoidable and focusing on a care package can channel that negative energy into a positive experience. You can send them something special you’ve bought for them, like their favorite Girl Scout Cookies; or something nostalgic that you already have in the house, like a stuffed animal. Or you can create the ultimate care package using this helpful guide.

Whatever you do, sending your love overseas can be a meaningful experience to both you and your servicemember.

Tip 2: A Smart Use Of Smartphones

Many cellphones are now equipped with cameras that record both pictures and video. While you are spending time with your family you can create something special for your servicemember using this technology. Go around to each family member and record them saying something to the deployed. Whether it’s a favorite memory with them or simply the words, “we miss you,” it will surely be an amazing treat for them. Videos can be sent to a servicemember’s military email address. If they are in an area without Internet access, you can print them out camera-phone pictures too, with the family holding up personalized signs.

By sending videos or pictures, missing your servicemember can become something fun and involve the whole family!

Tip 1: Get Out Of The House

Being surrounded by family can be an amazing thing. They are your support group through the hard times. But with the succession of family-centric holidays, family can easily remind you of the absence of your servicemember. For one of the upcoming celebrations, consider taking a trip to disrupt your typical holiday schedule. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant —nothing that your servicemember will be disappointed to miss. Maybe you spend a night in a local hotel for Thanksgiving or drive upstate for Christmas.

Breaking your normal routine can help distract you from the absence of your servicemember as well as create fun stories to tell them in your next letter!

For those who want to help further…

Not all over us have family members who are currently deployed. You might finally have your servicemember home. You might have veterans in your family. You might even be a veteran yourself. You might not have a specific person to send a care package to overseas, but that shouldn’t stop you from reaching out to deployed troops to make their holidays special. The Veterans Site sends care packages to troops with the help of volunteers and donations. This simple, yet meaningful gesture shows our troops that we have not forgotten them and are grateful for their service to this great nation.

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