Care packages and cards tips for loved ones overseas

by Starla L. Ivey, PhD, Building Strong Families program
Reviewed by Mary Jo Williams, 4-H associate state specialist for leadership development, and Lucy Schrader, Building Strong Families program coordinator

University of Missouri Extension’s Building Strong Families program would like to help you celebrate National Families Week (November 21-27) by saluting our brave military families. In order to do so, Building Strong Families offers ways for families to stay in touch with loved ones who are deployed overseas. When family members are separated, care packages and cards can be a reminder that others are thinking of them.

This article gives packing and mailing tips as well as ideas of what to send. Please see the references for more specific information.

Packing and mailing tips: 

Instead of using Styrofoam packing peanuts (which are hard to get rid of) use items that can be reused as packing materials such as: plastic grocery bags, plastic zipper-type bags, newspapers, or small tissue packages.

Mail toiletries separate from food items; otherwise food ends up tasting like deodorant.
If sending batteries, ship them in new and unopened packages for the quickest and safest arrival. If sending battery-operated gadgets (for example, flashlights or games), remove the batteries before shipping, so that the batteries do not corrode in the item.

Use sturdy cardboard boxes to ship your items. Avoid using recycled boxes that may be damaged, torn or punctured. Use clear packing tape to seal all openings of the box. Avoid masking tape, Scotch tape or duct tape to seal closures.

For addresses and labels, use large, block print – use a dark, permanent marker to write with, if possible. Cover the address with clear packing tape to avoid smearing or illegible addresses caused by moisture.

On the address label, include the full name of the person you are sending mail to (with or without rank designation), the unit address, the APO (Army Post Office) address, the nine-digit zip code and a return address.

Keep package sizes small (under 5 pounds in weight). Larger packages take a longer time to be delivered and are hard to carry around.

Packages are taking between 21-28 days to arrive and longer during major U.S. holidays. See the Army News Service’s article “Deadlines near for sending troops holiday packages” for specific dates of when to send packages and cards (http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=6566). 

Approximate number of days for packages and letters to arrive overseas:

Parcel Post – 45 days
Space Available mail – 28 days
Parcel Airlift mail – 21 days
Priority mail – 14 days
1^st class card/letters – 14 days

The United States Postal Service will send free boxes, packing materials, tape and mailing labels for care packages to be sent to military family members deployed to Iraq. Call 1-800-610-8734 and press “1” for English or “2” for Spanish, then press “3” to reach an operator.

Shopping tips: 

When selecting food items to send, remember that in some locations the heat is intense.  For example, gum can stick to the foil wrapper in hot weather.

Small packages of individually wrapped snacks are portable and stay fresher longer.
Can openers can be hard to come by – choose flip-top lids on canned products when possible.

Examples of items to ship in care packages:

Toiletries and personal care items:  baby wipes/cleansing cloths, toothpaste/toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, soap, antibacterial soap, liquid body wash, hand sanitizer, eyeglass wipes, eyeglass case, sunblock, aloe vera, throat lozenges, cough drops, lip balm, aspirin, pain relievers, feminine hygiene products for military women, jock itch spray, foot powder, antifungal/athlete’s foot products.

Food and drink items:  coffee, tea, hot cocoa mix, pre-sweetened drink mixes, Gatorade powder, hard candy, cookies, homemade cookies, candy bars, gum, mints, nuts, trail mix,  small bags of snacks of individually wrapped snacks,  peanuts, trail mix, power bars, protein bars, nutritional bars, breakfast bars, Pop Tarts, granola bars, chips or crackers, peanut butter.

       
Fun stuff:  Frisbee, Nerf football, Hacky Sack, decks of cards, hand-held games music CDs, video game CDs for laptop computers.

Communication items:  envelopes, small pads of paper, pre-addressed labels and/or envelopes, notebooks (a size they can keep in a pocket and keep dry), single-use camera.     

Notes:

Mailing restrictions:  each country, and each mailing zip code within each country, has different restrictions for what is allowed to be mailed to that country.

University of Missouri Extension and the Building Strong Families Program do not endorse specific brands of products, vendors, or manufacturers.

For more information see http://missourifamilies.org/features/financearticles/carepackages.htm