Suggestions and Information on a Packing Party...Links to /Shipping Labels/We Ship Love and All that you need to Get MAS boxes on their WAY!♥

[diane {Shawns mom}]

Pat and I through the process of having packing parties and Pat being our “beta tester” for the shipping process thought that it would be a GREAT idea to some ideas/suggestions that would help others through the process. Also NOW that MAS has $$ for shipping for the monthly adoptions there have been and will be a lot more PACKING PARTIES!

If you are planning on being a MAS Ombudsman (party host), contact Staci ([e-mail]) and she will guide you in the right direction and get you the paper work needed to get you started.

Please remember these are just our thoughts and by NO means think you have to follow them.

PLANNING A PACKING PARTY-

Supplies needed:

Large Flat Rate APO-FPO boxes, custom forms, packing tape, baggies - quart and pint, markers (example: to distinguish the FEMALE boxes) (**these items are FREE at your local post office see below with the exception of the sharpie markers **) -Molly’s Adopt A Sailor Labels (available for printing on Navyformoms or for ordering from www.gatorgalspecialites.com} and the month’s Adoptees Address and LOTS OF LOVE!  * And don’t forget to have FUN!

 

**The Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box are available in the Post Office nationwide but customers can order them at usps.com/supplies or by calling  800-610-8734 Some of the new boxes are co-branded with the logo of America Supports You, which is a Department of Defense program that connects citizens offering support to the military and their families. You will receive approximately 10 Large Flat rate boxes, packing tape and address labels. Allow about 7 business day for the supplies to arrive at your front door.

 

Picking a location;

When “planning” a packing party first thing is to pick a location, your home or an establishment.

If you are having it at an establishment make a reservation (after you have an idea of the # of Moms/families members that are going to attend) also, let the place know what you will be doing while you are there. Tell the place about MAS; ask if they will be willing to place a donation box in the establishment prior to the packing party. It is our experience that places are extremely helpful with anything you want to do. Make sure the “place” has PLENTY of room for ALL of you. YOU will NEED room to spread OUT.

The same idea holds true if you are holding the packing party in your home. PLENTY OF ROOM!!!

Remember you will have MOMs/Families members plus product, boxes etc. It takes LOTS of ROOM!

Once you have location set, PROMOTE-PROMOTE-PROMOTE your party, USE Navy for Moms- find the moms/wife’s in your area and contact them use FACEBOOK-friends-co-workers even your local stores, restaurants etc. Ask if you can place a flyer with information about the packing party, place a “Sailor Supply List” and put up some information about Molly’s Adopt a Sailor {MAS.} Put a blog up on N4Ms, make an EVENT on FACEBOOK, make a PAGE for your packing party on FACEBOOK-You will be surprised the response you will get, USE YOUR RESOURCES! Request support - VFW, American Legion, etc. - schools - local newspapers

 

 

The DAY OF THE PARTY! PACKING IT ALL UP!

Don’t be OVERWHELMED by the amount of items that are suddenly in front of YOU, this is AWESOME.

Sort your donations-ex: toiletries, candy, socks/clothing, food items, and cards/letters.

MAKE “STATIONS” or the MAS ASSEMBLY LINE…Have some moms assembling the actual box, next-pass  the box to “a station” …place (donations) toiletries-then candy, food, clothing/socks…Doesn’t need to be in that order, this is just to make sure that each box gets a “bit of everything” --at the end of the assembly line, the last station, what I like to call a “love checker” - cards/letters, have a spot where people can sign  the cards and letters and PLENTY OF PENS, make sure each box is packed properly and has everything it needs to make a SAILOR SMILE and feel a little bit of “home” in each package-then the box get taped and ready for the “SHIPPING STATION”…This is SO important! The shipping station, a few moms/family members should be filling out that dreaded “CUSTOM FORM” (**see custom forms below**) and addresses the box and then the FINAL touch, THE MOLLY’S ADOPT A SAILOR LABEL!!!!

Once you are done with YOUR Party –Shipping is the next step!

 

Getting ready to Ship

If you are planning on dropping your boxes off at the post office make sure before you go, that you have a custom form for each box. This should have been filled out at the packing party.

** Custom forms** All customs forms MUST have Molly or Diane’s Address in the “Return ADDRESS” portion of the form. When doing click-n-ship the return address MUST match the billing address, the MAS addy is in the MAS WE SHIP LOVE ROOM (HOLIDAY) which is also Diane or Molly’s, so please check BEFORE the party to insure you have the correct address to put on your custom forms. You may even want to get a head start on the custom forms before the party, which is totally up to the individual! What I have found out, since  you may have 2 or 3 women filling out the forms, make a few printed out copies of all addresses needed for the forms or even make a few “sample custom forms” to avoid any errors.-hoping for now on that the MAS addy will be posted with the address for the monthly adopteds

Carrier PICK-UP, you can do this but remember that when doing a carrier pick up YOU MUST print your custom forms off the USPS website. Each form requires 5 pages, so keep that in mind!

Once you all set, contact Staci, Molly or Diane and we will guide you towards getting “those boxes” shipped!

A packing party is tons of fun and let your imagination go….Invite your local TV/radio station personalities. Write to your paper, use your resources. PROMOTE- PROMOTE. ASK…ASK... You will be surprise how well people respond when asked to help OUR TROOPS!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shipping Labels- click here

WE ship Love Group, to retrieve adoptees addresses-click here-

Pie in a Jar instructions discussion Click here

Sailor Supply List discussion  Click HERE

 

One more thing, promise! LOL

To get your Molly's shirt for the packing party or any other "MAS GEAR" visit

www.gatorgalspecialites.com

 

And as we move upward and onward we can add here, So that we don't have to search and search!!!!

[Proud Navy/NYPD Mom (Donna)]

Diane ~ I came here cause I thought this is where I get further instructions for our packing party. But I'll leave a message here anyway. I have the attendance sheet with the # of boxes and the 2 signatures. Now what?
Maybe, you could make a list of instructions for those of us new to this? Especially since it involves getting things right for the shipping to be paid.
I'm going to make better friends with the postal clerks here in town!

[diane {Shawns mom}]

Will get the labels in here also!

[diane {Shawns mom}]

I do know there is a lot of info and "suggestions" up top...but remember most of it is what has been learned from the MOMS right here at MAS ♥

[Laura A]

I only need to use the official return address if I'm using Molly money, correct? If I've gotten donations for shipping here in my hometown, I just use my address?

[diane {Shawns mom}]

YES, Laura, ONLY if you are shipping with PEPSI $$ do you need to use one of our return addy, otherwise you are good to go!...Thanks for reading it! ♥

[Proud Navy/NYPD Mom (Donna)]

Does anyone know where to find the "official return addys"? I have to redo my shipping labels and customs forms ...

[diane {Shawns mom}]

The return addresses will be posted in the WE SHIP LOVE ROOM, along with the Monthly adoption address, for those that are having packing parties! ♥

[diane {Shawns mom}]

PLease MAKE SURE you get FLAT RATE BOXES!!!!!

[Kat (MM Nuke)]

bump