If I want to send a care package to Iraq, can I get the information I need from a recruiting center?

Question

I don't have any family in Iraq and I don't know anyone who does. I want to organize something for my theater group -use our audience pull to get donations- but I need to get the information.

Things I've found so far have been along the lines of, "Send us fifty bucks and we'll send a package off," but I want the package to be from my group.

Also, to anyone who's been over there, what did you miss the most that a group of teenagers could send you?

Answer 1

No u do not go to a recruiting station. You can go to the post office in your area. They usually have information like that. Type in soldiers care packages on google search. You will be surprised at what you get.

http://thefuntimesguide.com/2005/09/soldierpackages.php
http://www.treatsfortroops.com/
http://booksforsoldiers.com/

SSG Schramm
US Army 15 years
OIF 2003
US Army Recruiter 3 years running

Good Luck and thanks!

Answer 2

ANYTHING!!! They will appreciate anything and everything. Here's a list of some of the things I send
candy (non-chocolate during summer months, sweet tarts, spree, etc.)
cups of ramen noodles
easy mac
pringles
gum
little toys and games
some need socks/shirts
cookies (I usually send my hubby homemade stuff during the holidays)
gummy snacks (they make a kind with electrolytes in them which are very appreciated)
hard candy (mints, jawbreakers, jolly ranchers, life savers)
suckers
trail mix
drink mixes (the kind you add to bottled water)
jerky
goldfish crackers
peanutbutter/cheese crackers
peanuts
little boxes of cereal
baby wipes
hand sanitizer
lotion
razors
And, most importantly....SEND LETTERS!!!
The letters mean the most to them and I don't know a single guy over there who dosen't love getting mail from home.
Get creative, make little thank you cards to stick in with all the stuff.

If you need anymore ideas, let me know. I send out these things all the time.

Go to anysoldier.com or soldiersangels.org to find out where to send the stuff. They will tell you what you need to do. All you pay for is the shipping and the items you decide to send. (You could probably get lots of parent donations)

Answer 3

Unfortunately for me, I've become a pro at this since my son is a Marine on his second tour of duty in Iraq. There are many wonderful groups you can contact to send to any deserving serviceman or woman. By that, I'm talking about those who might not have family members or friends back home to send them anything. I knew a young man in my son's unit last time and was unable financially to send him as much as I would have liked since I had my own son to think about. I found this website that lists many different charitable organizations specializing in care packages:

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/send_packages.html

If these links don't give your group the recognition you are seeking, I know that MarineParents.com will list your group as a sponsor and is always looking for donations of money and items. The web page for this group is:

http://www.thecarepackageproject.com/

As for your question about what a group of teenagers can send, many of them are desperate for entertainment during their downtimes. Since many aren't much older than you, your group would do a great job choosing CD's, games, reading material, and DVD's.

Bless you for thinking about our troops.

Answer 4

SILLY STRING
A deck of cards
Powdered Gater aide


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soldier's mom finds Silly String shipper By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press Writer
Mon Oct 15, 9:43 PM ET



DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. - After months of frustration, a mother of a soldier in Iraq has found someone to ship about 80,000 cans of Silly String to the troops, who use the foamy substance to detect trip wires on bombs.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I am so happy right now, I am shaking. I just think it's awesome that it's finally going," Marcelle Shriver said as boxes were loaded into a truck Monday afternoon.

The thousands of cans of Silly String are boxed and addressed to individual servicemen and servicewomen in Iraq. But since the string comes in an aerosol can, it is considered a hazardous material, and only certain companies can ship it.

Thom Campbell, one of the founders of Capacity LLC, a New Jersey-based shipping company experienced in hazardous materials, heard about Shriver's problem and decided to help out.

Shriver and Campbell communicated for weeks by phone and e-mail but met for the first time Monday when the boxes were picked up. Each praised the other for making the shipment a reality.

"The determination that she's shown over a year ... deserves to be honored," Campbell said. "Mine is not a glamorous industry nor is it the kind of industry you get a lot of opportunities to do something like this."

Shriver had been storing the boxes in this community across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. They will be inspected by the company and then delivered to the United States Postal Service for transport with other letters and packages bound for Iraq.

Shriver's Silly String campaign began late last year after her son, Todd, a soldier in Ramadi slated to leave Iraq in November, asked his parents to send cans of the product.

Soldiers can shoot the substance, which travels about 10-12 feet, across a room before entering. If it hangs in the air, that indicates a possible trip wire.

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a military spokesman in Iraq, said recently that Shriver's efforts are appreciated, but that commanders decide which items troops need. He said the spray was used heavily in the early stages of the conflict but is not as widely needed today.

"If commanders on the ground are screaming that we need this stuff, we'll get it to them," Garver said.

Shriver, 58, got one shipment of 40,000 cans out in January through the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove in Pennsylvania but officials told Shriver they didn't know when they'd have more flights headed to Iraq and didn't have space to store the boxes. McGuire Air Force Base declined to take the shipment.

Despite her frustrations, Shriver said the Silly String campaign was worth it.

"If this saves one life, I'm happy," Shriver said.

Answer 5

You can look up mailing addresses for different units, along with a list of what they have requested at this website:

http://www.anysoldier.com/

I send my friends care packages a lot - their top requests: socks, powdered drink mix, snack food (beef jerky, trail mix, chips and salsa), magazines, games (travel sized - checkers, chess, crosswords, footballs), cough drops, and holiday decorations :)

Hope that helps!

Answer 6

Unfortunately your packages can't be sent to just any soldier, you have to know someone specifically .

Answer 7

You can send it to my team.

Oh, BTW, here's a star just for thinking about us.

Answer 8

No, try the Red Cross.