Care Package Ideas!

I have used a space-saver vacuum bag to send towels and sheets :)  Don't forget to take things out of their original packaging to save space!  Ziplock bags are great for tucking things into.

Sherri-TJs Mom What do ya put in your deployment survival bags? I'm looking for new ideas!

I have a question I hope someone can guide me as i dont want to do anything wrong..lol I want to start getting my duck in a row to do some care packages for the boys when they move on to A-school. Of course I will send to my son but I would also like to send to a few of the boys who dont get stuff:( Can I just do this on my own or do I have to follow some sort of procedure to collect items, I will also have to get donations for money for postage...am I allowed to do that?

One important thing to consider about sending anything to A school is that whatever they accumulate, has to be carried in their seabag a to their first duty station or shipped home.  In the' Hospital Corps A school' N4M group, we don't recommend sending more than a box or two - they have to stand and wait in long lines to pick up mail, and they tell their moms it's not worth it, they'd rather be resting and studying in their 'off' time.  I wouldn't worry about them too much; they're busy studying and doing stuff with their shipmates :)

Can someone let me know what "list" of items a sailor can have that is deployed in a care package?  I have tried to get a list but have not seen or heard from anyone that I know who could help. He just left, but we want to send a package at least once a week, so if he has more coming, he can share it with others. I just want to make sure that we don't send something that may get him or us in trouble.  Any help is welcome.

Mama Spence, my son has been deployed on an LHD so I can relate :)  He would ask for an assortment of protein/meal replacement bars, especially these PB&J protein bars; and homemade brownies and cookies to share.

During the USS Iwo Jima's last deployment, Molly's Adopt a Sailor adopted the junior enlisted in August, and the wish list from them included toothpaste, lotion, hand sanitizer, Purex 3-in1 laundry soap (great stuff, easy to use), dark blue T shirts compatible with NWUs, black over-the-calf tube socks, and black shoe polish - these are things the ship store runs short of.  

They have access to microwaves, so popcorn is good to send, as well as chips like Pringles in tubes.  Playing cards and card games like Phase 10 were asked for.  The USPS has this list of what's prohibited, including aerosols, alcohol, perfume, lithium batteries.  

Ziplock bags are definitely the way to go!  Don't pack things like soap with food, the scent will permeate the food.  Take things out of the original packaging to make room for more stuff.  Have fun!!!

Okay, my son's been deloyed a month. Already sent one package with his favorites, clif bars, beef jerky and advil.  I've never been able to send cookies that weren't crumbs when they got there.  Does anyone know how to do that?  I can bake lots of cookies, but don't want to send bricks or crumbs.  Any suggestions?

The last batch off cookie I sent I placed in a disposable tupper ware container. They made the trip to Japan in pretty good shape. I also place a think layer of bubble wrap over the item before sealing the box. good protection and did not take up a lot of space.

i made english toffee for my son and he love it, and so did the other sailors that he shared it, so maybe some of should think about homemade candy and shipped well

@ Helen, T-man's mom -

Oh!  Forgot to mention:  the smaller bubble wrap works best for shipping cookies.  This is a place where bigger (bubbles, that is) is not necessarily better!  Smaller bubbles mean a flatter surface for shipping the cookies.

I love these great suggestions, and FQ, how cool to have a professional's input!  Never thought about dry popcorn.  You should post some photos of your specialty cookies just for fun, would love to see.  Also, always like to see recipes that work - like fbettyboop's English toffee - I loooove English toffee :)

Love all the suggestions too.  When I mail to Japan....I  put whatever  I have baked into a zip lock bag and then into a ziplock/glad container..then I fill the  rest of the box with socks, t-shirts, softer candies, packages of gum, granola bars (unboxed) etc.. to gain maximum use out of the "care package" box.  He gets them with in 10 days to 2 weeks at the most and he says  everything that I have sent have tasted good and not stale or musty.  I do the same for my other sailor who has been deployed on a ship and it takes about 2 weeks to get care packages.

The USS Kearsarge ombudsman team just shared this, courtesy of military avenue.com on Pinterest.  How cool to use copies of photos to dress up a care package for something special like a birthday or just because! 

Oh, I love that!!  I also thought of sending different card games.  Love the thumb drive idea, though my sailor has a lot already on his computer, I can still send some he doesn't have.  Big Bang is a big hit on his ship.  He has all the seasons and shares them.  I guess we're going to have to get creative.  hehehe

Just remembered, my son has his xbox onboard.  I saw a couple of guys carrying on flatscreen tvs on the day of deployment.  I'm sure I'll get a request for some games. 

Here is link to some different theme ideas I posted:  http://www.navyformoms.com/group/carepackageideas/forum/topics/care...

Also it is listed in the discussions above^^^^  =]

I have my nieces and nephews decorate the inside of boxes when they come over to the house...  they love to draw on them with markers and glitter glue!! 

After we decorate the box I let them each pick out items from my stash to help fill the box... we too pick a them... sometimes it is just a color... like all blue items or all red items... or a beach party... or you are our hero... 

Gives us something to laugh about when my sailor emails home trying to guess what the theme of his box was... and it helps to connect him with his younger cousins!!

I love this idea--putting copies of pictures all over the inside of the box! I wrote my letters on the packing paper and drew on the inside of the box, but i like putting photos inside the box! I will remeber this for next deployment.

HI, what a great idea for a group.  My son just graduated boot camp 6-07 and is now in Pensacola for his A School.  I'm trying to get together a package of goodies to send to him.  Any ideas for me before I scour the site?  LOL

Welcome 1k2n3i!  My thoughts are:  favorite homemade cookies or brownies to share with his buddies; microwave popcorn; protein/meal replacement bars and a bottle of gummy vitamins (brain food); a Visa gift card for buying necessary incidentals at the NEX; and some cash for the taxis they inevitably share everywhere.  And maybe a beach towel and some sunscreen - hopefully he'll get some time around the 4th of July to relax and hit the beach!

Thank you Marcy~Corpsman Mom.  I just saw your post, wasn't on at all yesterday.  All good ideas and I will be using them.  All I had in mind were some homemade cookies and beef jerky (he loves that), but the non-food items are just as good! 

It's official - use 9-digit ZIP codes when mailing to FPOs or it's coming back to you ...  Navy.mil: 9-Digit ZIP Codes Mandatory to FPOs

Hey all!  Found this interesting tidbit in a Friday's New York Times:  

The term “care package” originated after World War II when the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE) began sending food relief across the Atlantic. The group bought up surplus 10-in-1 food parcels from the American military, which had prepared them for an invasion of Japan.

Each package included a pound of steak and kidneys; 8 ounces of liver loaf; 12 ounces of luncheon loaf (Spam); 2 pounds of coffee; and a pound each of lard, honey, raisins and chocolate. In its first two decades, the organization delivered over 100 million packages.

With such widespread popularity, the name “care package” (the acronym was lowercased in popular usage) quickly carried over to any shipment of supplies to service personnel, college students, inmates or anyone away from home.

Cfuz, I make my oatmeal cookies (and brownies, when it's not summer!) bite-size and pack them in Tupperware-type containers from the dollar store, and cut pieces of wax or parchment paper to put in between the layers.

BTW, the NY Times story is pretty interesting, about how crazy, competitive (and sadly, impersonal) parents get when sending care packages to summer camp.  My son's camp in MN only allowed letters, which i understood and agreed with.  The Care Package Wars 

FLEET POST OFFICE (FPO) CHANGES -- Effective immediately for Navy mobile units, the sender must include the full, correct nine-digit ZIP code on all classes of mail, or the U.S. Postal Service will return mail to sender marked "undeliverable as addressed."

The Postal Service has consolidated its military mail processing from two coastal locations to just one in Chicago. Now, mobile Fleet Post Office (FPO) addresses MUST use nine-digit ZIP codes for automated mail-sorting equipment and to reduce manual sorting.

Each Navy mobile unit (ships, squadrons, detachments) has a unique, nine-digit (ZIP+4) FPO ZIP code. For example, this is the USNS Comfort mailing address with its nine-digit ZIP code:

SHIP’S COMPANY: 
Rate Name 
Dept / Div 
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) 
FPO AE 09566-4008 

MSC PERSONNEL:
Full Name
Department
Military Sealift Command
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20)
FPO AE 09566-4008

now they just have to get consumers to use it also.  my daughter ordered a bunch of stuff online and had to have it sent to my house because they wouldn't take the whole zip.  now i get to ship it to japan.

I had to do the same thing last week; repacked his stuff into a flat-rate box and tucked in some cookies too :)

(then again, I was lucky that it was stuff I could jam and cram into a box)

Just sent a package.  9 prune containers fit perfectly in the flat rate box.  I filled each with energy bar, drink packet, gum, breakfast bar, crackers, pudding, candy and resealed them..  So my sailor can share with each..LOL    I love to keep them guessing!

Imnadelady, what a great idea!  I think I'll do something like that myself, even though he's still in Groton!

Alaskan Mom, I was thinking the exact same thing!!!

LOL!

LOL 2 a day, makes for a lot of cannisters over a year!  Oh and my lil granddaughter loves them too.

The prunes were a hit, got a lot of laughs.

Hello, I'm looking for ideas/advice to keep baked goods fresh while in route.

I've baked a cake (crumb like tipping no frosting) and froze
(I froze them so they would be firm when I vacuumsealed) baked goods, then vacuum sealed.  Prior to that my sailor has never complained the cookies were stale.

Here is a story for the books, when he first was stationed in Seattle area got his address like the first week of Dec.  Hubby and I were so disappointed he would miss Christmas, we baked 5 kinds of cookies in one day.  Quick shipped those goodies out.  He was newly assigned to a squadron that was deployed (thus an APO/FP address) but returned back in Seattle before Christmas.  The cookie shipment traveled from NY to CA in day and a half. Then transferred to the military postal service.   He never received them for 5 weeks.   Point!!!!!  They ate ever cookie.  LOL  and that was before vacuum sealing. 

His packages to Japan and deploys take 8-14 days usually.  The vacuum sealer was an investment, but I see lots of other options for me to use it.

I also use a vacuum sealer.  Freezing the cake before vacuuming is an excellent idea. Last year I baked a birthday cake and put it in the sealer--turned in to a birthday pancake! LOL Luckily it bounced right back when I cut open the bag. Cookies last a long time when sealed and frozen, plus it makes them tight together so they don't bounce around and crumble.

We have had terrible luck with military mail going to the Seattle area too. One envelope went form St. Louis to LA in one day, sat there for about a month, went to NY, then back to our house as undeliverable. A care pkg went pretty quick to the west coast, then didn't make it to the deployment area until 4 days before he left (7 weeks trip). But the best one is he got his Valentine pkg from his GF at the same time--last week of June!

So, send your packages with love and know that whenever they arrive and whatever the condition they will still be appreciated and sometimes it makes for funny stories later!

I pretty much stick with cookies - figure they can be 'dunked' if they get a little hard!  :)  Here is some good advice about mailing and food safety (and note that they recommend not sending "cake-in-a-jar") - http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/food_safety/handling/hgi...

My son is in Bahrain - not on a ship - he's aircrew.  Any ideas of what I should send him?  Would appreciate any and all comments as I am clueless.  Also, any idea how long it takes for him to receive stuff?

It's only September but it seems it's time to think about holiday mailing deadlines!  "The Naval Supply Systems Command's (NAVSUP) Postal Policy Division mail-by dates for pre-Dec. 25 delivery of holiday cards, letters, and packages were released Sept. 3."  2013 Holiday Season Mailing Deadlines to FPO/APO Addresses

I am currently in the middle of sending my first care package! Does anyone know the correct address format to make sure the package gets to the right person?! He is a petty officer. Do I need to address the package Petty Officer and then my boyfriends first and last name? Or just last? Or even put Petty Officer at all? The address in general is weird to me, maybe the post office could help? If anyone has any suggestions please let me know! :)

Good link!  Erinalanna, just remember that as of earlier this year you MUST use the ship or unit's nine-digit ZIP code or else your mail will be returned - so as a sample FPO AE 09000-0123,

Due to availability issues books and magazines are often passed around by the crew.

Even the sailors who aren't known for reading a lot, will like comic strip books like Calvin and Hobbes and other such books. Things can get a little boring when off duty. The comic strip style books will be shared with others and the humor will be a welcome relief.

 PhyllisStreet. Bahrain? Rum cookies aren't a good idea. I doubt they make pocket translators for that. News from home is always appreciated especially about the family the sailor misses very much. You know those little heart shaped candies they sell for Valentines and other occasions? Should travel well as long as they are kept dry.