52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Seven

My family’s act of compassion this week is going to make care packages for a few soldiers.  This may not be something that everyone can do because of cost but there are many ways to put one together very affordably.

Following is a list of items that are great to send:

·         Commercially prepared snacks and/or treats. Examples would be, gum, nuts, trail mixes, granola bars and snack crackers. (Canned goods and home baked goods are not safe to send)

·         Toiletries. Examples would be (sample or travel size) lip balms, lotion, hair gel, shampoo, soap, dental care, nail files and eye drops. (Hotel samples are not allowed)

·         Entertainment items, such as puzzle or game books and small craft kits.

·         Random items such as pillow cases, pre-paid phone cards, air fresheners, laundry detergent, small flashlights and stationary.

Unfortunately there are also many things that CANNOT be sent overseas to our soldiers and they include:

·         Home baked good

·         Glass bottles

·         Aerosol cans

·         Canned food

·         Expired food

·         Candles, lighters or lighter fluid

·         Hotel samples

·         Contraband items (tobacco, live plants, knives or nudity)

·         Prescriptions

·         Used or dirty/stained clothing 

If you need more ideas of what to send in a care package, both “Google” and “Pinterest” offer many great ideas.  Remember that these do not need to cost a lot, in fact, chances are you have a few of these items laying around or hanging out in your pantry.  The United States Postal Service has even made it easy to send care packages by offering free boxes with a flat rate.  As of March 26, 2014 the cost for flat rate boxes starts at $5.80 (for the small box).

What would you include in a care package?