Deployed Marine Care Packages
We are collecting items to prepare care packages for Marines currently serving in Iraq. Please bring the items to church with you so we can pack them. Boxes go out each month as they are filled, so don't wait - bring your item(s) this Sunday!
Morale
Marines especially like letters, cards, photos of you and your family - anything that will remind your Marine of home.
If you can get hold of your Marine's local newspaper this is especially appreciated - photos of your Marine's hometown events and vistas are great.
Kids' drawings and notes - many classrooms and Sunday Schools are taking on the project of writing to Marines and other service members - how about yours?
Other ideas:
- holiday decorations (keep them flat and light-weight as possible)
- cards ("miss you," anniversary, birthday [especially those for kids], etc.); postage is free for your Marine, so don't bother with stamps
- envelopes and notepaper (they don't need stamps, as their postage is free)
- pre-paid phone cards - - buy through the military exchange system, as not all cards are useable overseas and in other specific places - in addition to deployed troops - - other recipients exist: military families/troops in hospitals, etc.
Entertainment Items
Bibles - any translation
magazines
DVD (all genres; find a used DVD store and make your money go 5x as far!)
CDs (all genres)
chess, checkers, cards, dominoes, books of crossword puzzles/word search, books of card games, dart board, ping pong balls, etc.
books (all genres)
football, basketball
personal DVD/CD players
games (cribbage, chess, checkers)
deck of cards (and perhaps a book of card games, such as Hoyle's Rules of Games or The U.S. Playing Card Company's Official Rules of Card Games)
hand held electronic game consoles and games
hobby supplies
Toiletries
razors-disposable
shave cream
foot powder (GoldBond Max Strength) or spray
baby wipes
liquid hand sanitizer
Carmex lip balm
sun block SPF45
Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss
deodorant
Skin So Soft (works as insect repellant)
Q-tips
Vivarin, No Doze (your Marine may be just fine with coffee, tea, or caffeinated sodas, so ask whether these items are needed)
soap
shampoo, cream rinse, "extra firm" hairspray, gel
female hygiene products (panti-liners, tampons; Midol)
feminine body products (shower foam, good lotions and moisturizers, facial products - - Bath and Body Works are brand especially enjoyed)
acne meds
Comfort Items
- small, hand-held battery-powered fan
- spray on fabric softener
Junk Food
- Kool Aid with sugar
- Gatorade dry mix ("Freeze" flavor is most popular)
- hard candy - - sweets are especially appreciated
- gum
- nuts (especially sunflower seeds)
- dried fruit
- cookies (no chocolate, as it melts; no home-baked goodies, alas)
Snack Food
- teabags
- beef jerky
- Slim Jims
- seeds
- gum
- Easy Mac
- packets of tuna, chicken, etc.
- dry soup packets
- protein bars
- pasta/noodles/spaghetti-os/ravioli/etc. (microwave-safe bowls of these things are safer bets, rather than cans)
Other
- batteries (AA, AAA, 9-volt, lithium)
- small flashlights
- one-use cameras
- pens/pencils/candy/gum/small toys, etc. to give to children
Don't worry that you might send something the Marine won't like. Items that your Marine can't use are shared or bartered.
Suggestions for Contents of an All-Purpose Care Package
If you don't know much about your Marine, and the likelihood is high that this will be so at first, or if you just want to send something to your Marine on a one-time basis, here are some safe items to put in a care package:
- candy, sunflower seeds, gum, beef jerky, powdered Gatorade, power bars
- sunscreen (SPF 45 if you can get it)
- lip balm (with sunscreen in it, if possible)
- magazines, books, deck of cards, or other general entertainment items
- self-addressed envelope (no stamp needed) and a piece of paper, should your Marine want to write to you. Put your address on any letter you enclose with the goodies - - don't just slip in a blank envelope!
What Not to Send
No booze, no porn, no chocolate (melts - - drat!), no home-cooked treats (not packed well enough to ward off critters), no photocopied (books, etc.) or "ripped" (CDs, DVDs, etc.) items, no firearms or explosives.
Unless you know what kind of cooking facilities the Marine has, don't send stuff that should be heated to be palatable. There might not be a microwave available. (Some of our Marines live in very primitive conditions. No electricity, for example - - which also means no air-conditioning.) Room temperature snacks and junk food are the way to go.
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