Act of Kindness #10 - Care Package

When I started putting a list together of things I wanted to do as acts of kindness, sending a care package to the troops was the first thing on it. I know it is act #10, but I wanted time to get together as much as possible to send...and boy did we get a lot of stuff!! I sent an email out to my company letting them know I was going to be sending 'a package' in the next 2-3 weeks and if they would like to bring in anything to give, it would be greatly appreciated. Well, I wasn't expecting the huge response I did! Not only did people bring things in, I had a few that gave or sent me money to buy the things we didn't already have.

I went on to www.anysoldier.com and found the group I wanted to send our stuff too. You can narrow your searches down by looking for only Marines, Army, Navy, etc. So, I went with the Army because Grandpa, my dad, uncle and aunt all served in the Army and I currently have an uncle and 2 cousins serving. I found a group from Georgia and after reading where they were at, how long they were there for and what they needed, I knew I had it. Now, we might have went above and beyond their request list (maybe just a little), but I hope they will be pleasantly surprised when they receive it all!

Jeff and I spent 2 hours on Friday night trying to package everything into the least amount of boxes while also trying to make it so they were not 100 lbs a box...not an easy task with all that we had!

Laundry Detergent, Dryer Sheets, Plates, Plastic Utensils & Individual packs of Kleenex

 

All hygiene items...chapstick, toothpaste/brushes, eye drops, face wipes, foot powder, q-tips, shampoo/conditioner, body wash, razors, deodorant, shave gel, nail polish remover, sunscreen and advil...I am sure there is more in there, but you get the picture.

Sports items & games: Football, soccer ball, frisbee, badminton set, tennis balls, cards, Phase 10 (a must have!), chess, checkers, dominoes, etc.

Breakfast Items: Pop-Tarts, oatmeal, grits, coffee & creamers, breakfast bars and cereals.

Snacks Galore!: Little Debbies, fruit snacks, chips, beef jerky, cookies, goldfish, a HUGE tub of fireballs and bags of different candy.

Peanuts, crackers, mixed nuts, popcorn and sunflower seeds. If there is a shortage of sunflower seeds, you know where to find some because we sent a ton of them! Oh and there is Skoal too...

Ramen noodle cups, tuna fish, ready made chicken/tuna salad kits, microwavable rice cups, mac-n-cheese bowls and Vienna sausages (you can't go wrong with those!!)

Jelly, hot chocolate packs, tea bags, crystal light and Tang (Jeff's idea haha)

Pens, paper, envelopes, magazines, books, movies, batteries and socks

This was the aftermath!! Thank God Jeff went with me to the post office!!

 

 

So Saturday morning we were at the post office at 8 a.m. only to find that they don't open until 8:30, but that gave me some time to fill out some of the paperwork. Thankfully it is not busy at that time of morning! A huge shout out to the ladies at the Holly Springs post office too because they were a huge help and were extremely nice!! I can't wait for the troops to receive these! I hope it gives them a little taste of home and brightens their day!