FOOD (SNACKS) & ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS ARE ALWAYS THE #1 REQUEST!
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FOOD, SNACKS AND DRINKS:
- BEEF JERKY / SLIM JIMS
- POWDER DRINK MIX (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light)
- SUNFLOWER SEEDS & PUMPKIN SEEDS
- TUNA & CHICKEN SALAD (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
- PROTEIN POWDER & PROTEIN BARS
- CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS accepted from OCTOBER through MARCH (it will melt in high temperatures!)
- COFFEE (Ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground is preferred)
- Hot Chocolate packets, Herbal teas
- Hard Pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz
- Gum / Hard Candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags)
- Granola Bars / Power Bars / Cereal Bars / Cliff Bars
- Fig Newtons, Oreos, Cheese & Crackers - Small Packs
- Trail Mix, Dried Fruit, Granola, Fruit Roll-Ups / Fruit By The Foot / Fruit Gummies
- DRY SOUP: (Ramen Noodles / Cup-O-Soup: just add water)
- NUTS: Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (salted preferred)
- MICROWAVE FOOD (Popcorn, Chef-Boy-R-Dee, Mac'n'Cheese...)
- COOKIES / Girl Scout Cookies (with chocolate: Oct. - Feb. only!)
- Rice Krispie Treats (Store-bought only)
- Little Debbies & Hostess cake products
- Oatmeal Packs (Instant: just add water)
- Cereal (Small, individual boxes)
- Condiments, Spices; Sugar; Salad Dressing (no glass jars)
- Caffeinated gum or candy (to stay alert)
TOILETRIES: NO HOTEL SAMPLES!
- BABY WIPES (travel size)
- HAND SANITIZER (travel size)
- Body Wash, Liquid Soap, Facial Cleanser
- Shampoo /Conditioner (travel size)
- Hair Gel (for female troops to pull hair back)
- Combs / Brushes / Bobby Pins (in original packaging, please)
- Deodorant (travel size)
- Razors (disposable or "Intuition" or "Mach 3" types)
- Shaving Cream in Tubes / Shaving Soap (No CANS of Shaving Cream, please!)
- Lip balm / Chap Stick / Carmex / Blistex
- Baby Powder & Foot Powder (travel size)
- Tissues (individual packs; travel size only)
- Hand & Body Lotion / Moisturizer (travel size)
- Sunblock, SPF 45, Zinc, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Gel
- Bug Spray / DEET / Skin-So-Soft
- Mouthwash (travel size)
- Toothpaste & Toothbrushes & Dental Floss
- Breath Mints / Breath Strips
- Lozenges / Cough Drops
- Loufa Sponges / Buff Puffs / Washcloths
- Nail files / Emery Boards / Nail Clippers
- Feminine Hygiene Products
- Cotton Swabs (i.e. Q-tips) - also used to clean guns!
- Cotton Balls
- Band-aids, Gauze Pads, First Aid Kits / Ace bandages, Icy Hot or Bengay cream
- Moleskin
- Shoe Insole Cushions (gel kind is best)
- Tylenol, Motrin, Advil or Aspirin Packets
- Eye Drops (i.e. Visine)
- Nasal Spray
- Vitamins (multi-vitamins are always needed!)
ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS:
- BATTERIES: (AA, AAA, C & 9 Volt are the most requested)
- DVD Movies (new or used - recent releases only, please!)
- Xbox Games, PSP, PS2 & PS3 Games (new or used)
- iTunes� Gift Cards
- 35 mm disposable cameras
- Computer Flash Drives & Thumb Drives
- Portable CD players / head phones
- Electronic handheld games
- Small homemade gifts - reminders & comforts of "home"
- Small photographs or posters of scenery for their tents & walls
- Pens & mechanical pencils, small note pads
- Stationery & Envelopes; blank cards to send home
- Double-sided tape, small crafts kits, scrap-booking items
- Day planners / Calendars / Small, Pocket Calendars
- Game Books: (Crossword Puzzles / Word Search Books / Math Puzzle books / MAD LIBS / Logic Problems / Sudoku)
- Yo-Yo's, Dominoes, Playing Cards (new), Poker Chips & Mats, Dice
- Board games (UNO, Othello, Checkers - travel size is great, too!)
- Dart Boards (regular or magnetic - any size)
- Nerf Footballs / Whiffle bats, balls & Mitts / Sports equipment
- Frisbees / Hackey sacks
- Music CDs, Magazines & Books (Accepted ONLY at our NORTH CAROLINA BRANCH)
OTHER:
- LINENS: Pillow cases, twin sheets, towels (green & tan)
- T-SHIRTS: Cotton green & tan under shirts - new (Sizes: M, L & XL)
[Note: The DOD banned "Under-Armor" shirts due to its material being potentially flammable & bad reactions to open wounds.]
- FLASHLIGHTS - SMALL (battery operated. Surefire Brand preferred)
- AIR FRESHENERS (standalone-not plug-in. Car types are also good)
- SOCKS: Black, Olive Green & White (cotton or wool)
- PHONE CARDS - Pre-Paid
- Gift Cards to send home to loved ones (for Restaurants, Supermarkets)
- Small toys (Beanie babies) & school supplies for Iraqi & Afghan children
- Patriotic knick-knacks, USA flags, flags from your state, bandanas, baseball hats, football jerseys, banners to tack on their walls or tents.
- Black or Green duct tape, small tool kits, dust masks, carpentry tools, Fly swatters, fly paper, mosquito netting, bug repellent in plastic pump bottles only (NO AEROSOL CANS, PLEASE!)
- Paint brushes, adhesive wall hooks, sponges
- Gun cleaning supplies (lube) such as Militec-1 & CLP
- Generic sunglasses (Ballistic, black only. No "mirror" types)
- Alarm Clocks (Small in size; wind-up or battery-operated)
- Small, portable heaters & fans (110 voltage okay)
- Fleece Blankets (Yes, it gets very cold in the winter over there!!)
- Disposable Hand warmers and Foot warmers (in the wintertime)
- Winter Hats (Yes, it snows in the winter over there! Hand knitted hats in black, tan or green are always welcome!)
- Water Bottles, Travel Mugs & Thermoses with Lids, (for Coffee, Tea & Soup)
- Coffee Makers & Filters (110 voltage okay)
- Coffee Bean Grinders - small (electric or battery-operated)
- Microwave Ovens (55 pounds max; 110 voltage okay)
- Hot Pots - Small
- Elixir & Water Purification Tablets for Camelbaks
- Combat Application Tourniquets (black only)
- Religious booklets, small bibles, inspirational readings
- Holiday and Seasonal Decorations
- K-9 items:
Dog treats, toys, shampoo, flea collars, etc.
CARDS & LETTERS: The troops love to hear from all of us and Mail brightens their days! These are the MOST IMPORTANT items we can send the troops & we can never have too many, so please keep writing! consider making a patriotic banner or poster to send inside one of our care packages!
Note: Our troops do not need stamps as they're in war zones & may send mail home to their loved ones at no charge, but our branches can always use stamps to send correspondence. |
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was happy to see a group of like minded people from back home. a place i used to think was largely anti-gun.
