OT: Red Cross and giving/shipping items to military

shappa

shappa

Joined
Oct 15, 1998
Messages
3,556
Guys, I wanted to send items of comfort to our soldiers in the military. I know how much these items mean to our guys/gals...my brother was over there for the first round. But I didn't know anyone stationed in Kuwait/Iraq and would rather use my $$ for comfort items rather than paying for the shipping. The great people at the Red Cross to the rescue!

I was able to go to the Red Cross www.redcross.org (lots of great info by the way) The web site had a way of locating and contacting my local chapter. After a few emails back and forth. I found out that they will package and ship items to the front lines. All you have to do is deliver them to the local chapter and they will take it from there. They can not deliver to a specific unit or person because of security concerns. This list was sent to me by my local chapter. There are a lot of things I never thought of sending.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Send Quality-of-Life Items to Our U.S. Troops

The following quality of life items are needed on a continuing basis to help bring a touch of home to deployed U.S. forces:
Individually wrapped pieces of hard candy (Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Roll Pops; Bubble Gum; Skittles; lollipops; Life Savers; Candy Sticks; Sweet Tarts, Mary Jane; Bit 'O Honey; etc.) no home made items

Chocolate bars and candies, only during cold weather

Microwave popcorn

Peanuts, pretzels and other snack foods

Sweetened Kool-Aid, Gatorade, and other sweetened drink mixes

Coffee, sugar, creamer, tea bags, hot chocolate, hot cider

Toiletry items such as shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shower soap/gel

Hand sanitizer, hand lotion

Wet wipes

Sunscreen

Wrap-around sunglasses

Batteries (Assorted sizes)

Blank greeting cards (birthday; anniversary; Get Well; Miss You; Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.)

Videos, DVD's, music CD's and cassettes (pack separately)

Small board games such as Chess, Checkers, Dominoes, Parcheesi, Yahtze, Uno, Cribbage, and jigsaw puzzles; playing cards.

Recent paperback books (mysteries, action, drama, and science fiction are highly read)

Puzzle books, comic books

Holiday Decorations (St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Passover, Patriotic Holidays; etc.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So go to the Red Cross web site www.redcross.org ,find your local chapter and make up a box of goodies for our troops and hand it over to the local chapter to ship. If you can't make up a box or would rather give $$ that's great too. There is a page there where you can give $$ to your local chapter or the international fund or to AFES (AFES — Iraq Response
Around the clock and around the globe, during times of personal crisis, the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) provides assistance and comfort to U.S. military members and their families. Your gift will support the nationally coordinated Red Cross services provided to military families across the country and to the American service men and women located throughout the world.)


This is a great way to help our troops! Please pass this info on to others.
 
Well done, Tom. Folks, I second this; Tom has been tracking this info down over the past week. Here is a letter from my brother which I sent Tom first, but think you would find informative:
-----
Dear friends and loved ones,

Right now the sand storms are the toughest thing we are facing. The winds are howling, the visibility is down to several hundred feet, and everything is covered with a layer of fine dust. The good thing is the ability to breath and be able to taste the air at the same time. You can also breath and polish your teeth at the same time. Best of all, you folks have to breath that bland,clean, pure air, while I, (the fan of chunky ice cream), get to breath chunky air of various flavors :))

I am certain that you will hear lots of news in the next few days. And we will be busier than a one-armed paper hanger on a windy day. But please remember, that we are trained, equipped and ready for almost all contingencies. More importantly, I have never forgotten that God is in control of the events about to unfold. If there are any spare prayer time slots available, pray for safety of the troops, minimizing of the Iraqi casualties, and an early collapse of the regime. I believe the goal is to make the world a safer and better place, and a long war will make that a lot harder. God is working among the troops. The chaplains have us looking at this time, not as a vacation, rather as a time of retreat and renewal of our faith in the Lord. That is a much better way to approach each day.

Your cards, letters, packages and emails have nurtured and sustained me ( and a large number of troops around me)!!! I can not thank you enough. Several times, I have had to close the plywood door on my little cubicle and shed a few tears over the wonderful friends and family that God has loaned to me. Thank you so much.

Blessings on you all !!!
-----------------------------

This morning another email arrived to say so far, all are safe, with a sincere recommendation for rubber chemical suits as a diet aid, ha ha.

Those guys need a touch of home. The USO and Red Cross will save you BIG buck in shipping charges. Same deal as before; if anyone wants to send particular items I will gladly forward them for you. Meantime, get those paperbacks, chaw, *waterless hand cleaner*, deodorant, gum, cards, cotton socks, Altoids peppermints, toothbrushes, "Wet Ones" towelettes, current magazines, just anything at all and box them up. Then call the good old Red Cross.

One last thing; we aren't in this just to kill Iraqis. In your prayers might be well to ask that the Almighty bring peace as well as justice, protecting our troops and sparing the innocent among whom they must work.

best wishes

Stephen
 
Here is another great site. www.operationmilitarypride.org/packages.html

They have a list of most requested items and what you SHOULDN'T send. Here are tips on how to package items if you send them to a specific person. Note that packages sent to "any soldier" will be destroyed.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DON'T SEND
*pressurized items (shaving cream, etc.)
*chocolates (may melt all over package)
*fruits, vegetables, living animals
*pornographic material (illegal in some countries), material showing nudity or semi-nudity, or anything sexual
*liquor (or anything involved in the manfacturing of liquor)
*firearms or other weapons
*religious material contrary to the islamic faith
*pork, or pork-based foods

IMPORTANT!
*ALWAYS address your package to a real person. Packages adressed to "Any Soldier in that unit" (or similar) will be destroyed, and you could get investigated.
*ALWAYS put your return address on the upper LEFT corner of your package.
*Use a plain and sturdy kraft cardboard box, or a USPS Priority Mailing Box #7 (#4 is also ok and smaller). Box must be within size restrictions.
*Double tape all seams with shipping tape and make sure you have a strip going around all sides (the trip can get rough).
*Fill up a "Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note" (form 2976) for all mail weighing more than 16 ounces.
*Describe the content briefly and UNDEREVALUATE it to discourage thieving.
*Under the content listing, endorse the customs form as follows: "Certified to be a bona fide gift, personal effects, or items for personal use of military personel and dependents."
*In the lower left corner of the box, write: "IF recipient has been redeployed, keep box and share with your unit".

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
The local news had a story today saying that the army was asking that people not send care packages as they were having problems delivering them, anyone know if there is any truth to this?
 
From the viewpoint of an old supply man I can see problems with supplies. The pipeline has a few leaks and I would not send non essential items at this time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top