How to Pack a Care Package For a Soldier Overseas

Send care packages to any U.S. military branch.

Keep in touch with troops overseas by sending a military care package. You can send one if you have a family member deployed in a foreign area, or you can ship one to a group of soldiers who will grant you a smile upon the package's arrival. As you consider what items to send, avoid shipping products that could possibly leak or melt. Wait up to two months for a response, as packages can take that long to travel back and forth between countries.

Things You'll Need

• Care package box
• Instant coffee
• Hot chocolate
• Candy
• Chips
• Powered fruit drinks
• Feminine hygiene products
• Deodorant
• Body wash
• Sunblock
• Athlete's foot cream
• Jock itch medicine
• Envelope
• Newspaper
• Peanut foam
• Bubble wrap
• Clear packing tape
• Pen

Instructions

1. Seek free packaging material. The United States Postal Service will mail out free packaging material for families with troops working in Iraq. Phone [phone] and press 1 to locate an English-speaking individual and 2 to reach a Spanish speaker.

2. Find a care package box that contains little to no markings on it.

3. Create an inventory list as you pack to avoid forgetting what you packed later on. Send overseas military soldiers items that include packed goods. Packed goods are items that will not leak. These include, but are not limited to, instant coffee, hot chocolate or powered fruit drinks. Find non-perishable sweets and snacks for troops who enjoy them, as these foods are almost impossible to find in some locations overseas. Mail feminine hygiene products, deodorant and body wash to women. Add sunblock to your list of items for military deployed to desert countries. Include athlete's foot cream and medicine for jock itch for military personnel. Drop in an envelope with your address if you would like to receive a response back.

4. Add newspaper, foam peanuts and bubble wrap to fill in any extra space inside the package.

5. Tape around package with clear packing tape, including any areas that might open as the package travels overseas. Cover the entire package with tape.

6. Write down contents that are inside the box when you are at the post office. Add a low-ball figure when estimating the value of the items in the package.

7. Include "operation military pride" on the upper, left hand side of the box you are sending a care package to a military unit. Add "re-direct" to the package of another troop unit if the group you originally sent the care package to was sent home. Write down addresses with a permanent marker to avoid mail confusion, according to Missouri Families, an extension of the University of Missouri. Place packing tape on top of address listings to keep moisture from making words illegible.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep food items separate from personal care products as you fill your care package.

• Packages under 5 pounds are delivered quicker than their heavier counterparts.

• Know that your packages could take up to 28 days to be delivered to their final destination. That does not include major holidays.

• Avoid sending liquor to the Persian Gulf.

References

• Missouri Families: Money Maters: Care Package Tips....; Starla L. Ivey, PhD; 2009
• Operation Military Pride: Care Package Information; 2004