Care Package Information Suggested Contents, Mailing Instructions and Restrictions
Food Items
*Instant coffee. There are many flavored coffees that are very good.*Powdered Gatorade.
*Powdered hot chocolate
*Kool-Aid (presweetened of course)
*Tea bags
*Slim Jim's
*Crackers and Easy Cheese. Triscuits and Ritz crackers are great.
*Single servings of bagged chips. (The small bags stay fresh longer.)
*Candy, of course. (M & M's are great, hard candy-anything that won't melt.)
*Little Debbie snack cakes
*Bubble gum
*Rice Krispie Treats
*Dry cereal. (The small, individual serving boxes stay very fresh.)
*Kraft Easy Mac
*Microwave popcorn
*Beef jerky
*Granola bars
*Power bars
*Dried fruit
*Chex mix
*Canned soup
*Tuna
*Spices (Onion powder, garlic powder, spice all, etc)
*Summer sausage
*Oatmeal
*Salsa
*Lollipops
*Marshmallows
*Gum
*Chips
*Ragu Express
*Canned chicken
*Salad dressing
*Instant soup
*Fast food condiments (Hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper packets, relish, Mayo)
FROM The Kids
* Have the kids draw a picture or write a story every day. Put them all in a big envelope and send them with the care packages.* Take video of the kids playing at the park, any school activities or just sitting down and saying a personal message.
* Get some computer printer magnetic paper. Let the kids use paint markers to draw a picture on it so the parent can easily hang it on the metal rack that they sleep in.
* Let the kids do their very own care package. Let them put in whatever they want.
*Use a casting kit to create a miniature plaster "sculpture" of a new baby's foot or hand for a new daddy.
For Females
*Feminine hygiene products (Tampons, panty liners)*Hair bands
*Hair clips
*Nail polish
*Nail clippers
*Q-tips
*Small mirrors
*body sprays
*Candles
*Hair spray (Pump)
*Hair gel
*Perfume
- DON"T Send pressurized items (Shaving cream, etc...)
- DON"T Send chocolates (May melt all over package)
- DON"T Send pornographic material (illegal in some countries)
- DON"T SEND LIQUOR
Military Care package Restrictions for
Zip Code 09393
- A - Securities, Currency or Precious Metals Securities, currency, or precious metals in their raw, unmanufactured state are prohibited. Official shipments are exempt from this restriction.
- A1 - Any Service Member Mail addressed to "Any Servicemember", or similar wording such as "Any Soldier", "Sailor", "Airman", or "Marine"; "Military Mail"; etc., is prohibited. Mail must be addressed to an individual or job title such as "Commander", "Commanding Officer", etc.
- B - Form 2976-A Form 2976-A is required for all mail weighing 16 ounces or more, with exceptions noted below. In addition, mailers must properly complete required customs documentation when mailing any potentially dutiable mail addressed to an APO or FPO regardless of weight. The following are exceptions to the requirement for customs documentation on non-dutiable mail that weighs 16 ounces or more:
- Known mailers are exempt from providing customs documentation on non-dutiable letters, and printed matter weighing 16 ounces or more. (A known mailer is anyone who legally applies a permit imprint to a mailpiece. Mail with meter postage is not considered to be from a known mailer.)
All federal, state, and local government agencies are exempt from providing customs documentation on mail addressed to an APO or FPO except for those APOs/FPOs to which restriction B2 applies.
- B1 - Form 2976 or 2976-A is required. Articles are liable for customs duty and/or purchase tax unless they are bona fide gifts intended for use by military personnel or their dependents. When the contents of a parcel meet these requirements, the mailer must endorse the customs form, “Certified to be a bona fide gift, personal effects, or items for personal use of military personnel and dependents,” under the heading, Description of Contents. Exceptions: All other exceptions listed in restriction B above are applicable to this restriction.
- C1 - Obscene Articles & Comics Obscene articles, prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc., and horror comics and matrices are prohibited.
- E2 - Objectional Material Any matter depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or nonauthorized politi-cal materials is prohibited. Although religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith are prohibited in bulk quantities, items for the personal use of the addressee are permissible.
- F - Firearms Firearms of any type are prohibited in all classes of mail. See definitions of firearms in DMM C024.1.1C. This restriction does not apply to firearms mailed to or by official U.S. government agencies.
- H1 - Pork Prohibited Pork or pork by-products are prohibited.
- M - Fruits and Vegetables Fruits, animals, and living plants are prohibited.
- R - Alcoholic Beverages All alcoholic beverages, including those mailable under DMM C021, are prohibited.
- R1 - Alcoholic Beverages Materials used in the production of alcoholic beverages (i.e., distilling material, hops, malts, yeast, etc.) are prohibited.
- V - Express Mail Military Service Express Mail Military Service (EMMS) not available from any origin.
- Z1 - Anti-Pilferage Seal Required The following restriction is applicable only to International Service Centers (ISC)/Exchange Offices. An Anti-Pilferage Seal (Item No. O817E or O818A) is required on all pouches and sacks.
Practical
*Clorox wipes*Baby wipes
*Razors, shaving cream
*Shampoo, conditioner
*After shave lotion
*Soap or body wash
*Mouth wash
*Deodorant
*T-shirts, underwear and socks, monthly.
*A big fluffy towel
*Eye drops, especially for those in the desert.
*Chapstick
*Lip balm
*Sun block
*Skin so soft (Avon)
*Lotion
*Dental floss
*Baby powder
*Foot powder
*Combs /brushes
*Cotton balls
*Liquid hand sanitizer
*Breath mints
*Contact lens cleaner
*Eye drops
*Nail files
Just for fun
*Send batteries. It sounds simple, but people forget.
*Sunblock
*A stress ball.
*Stamps, paper and envelopes with a nice writing pen might inspire a few more letters home.
*Phone cards (AT&T work best from Kuwait)
*Paperback book or magazines
*Disposable cameras
*Puzzles
*Film
*Journals
*Yo Yo's
*Squirt guns
*Frisbees
*Dart boards
*Small flash lights
*Hackie sacks
*Jump ropes
*Electronics hand held games
*Post cards from your home state
*Handmade items
*Radio head sets
*Portable CD players
*Mini fans
*Jokes and comics
*Balloons
*Hats (Baseball)
*Bandannas
*Socks
*Blankets
*Bug off
*Single sheet sets
*Birthday decorations
*Banners
*Send board games-the ones they have made into key chains.
*Send hisűfavorite magazines
*If they're gone over a holiday, do up one box with just holiday stuff. Be creative!
*With a CD burner, make a CD of favorite songs.
*Always write letters, but in addition you might record your letters onto a tape.
*Send a few toys. Slinky, sidewalk chalk, squirt guns...anything extra silly.
*Send electronic games.
*Make a miniature scrapbook.
*Foam footballs and basketballs, the miniature size. These will be used constantly!
Mailing Instructions:
*Put any item that could leak or melt or which is scented in a leak-proof zip-sealed bag!
*If you would like a reply, be sure to enclose a letter saying so.
*Use a sturdy corrugated, brown Kraft box, as free of other markings as possible.
*Fill all extra space with foam peanuts, bubble wrap, popcorn
*Double tape all seams with strong packing or shipping tape. Make sure you have a strip going around all sides.
*Fill out a "Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note" at the Post Office. Briefly list the contents & underestimate the value to discourage thieving. In the upper left corner write "USNA.org" and then your complete return address so they know it's safe to open (or it might get tossed)! In the bottom left corner write a re-direct address of another troop or write, If the person to whom this box is addressed has been redeployed, please keep the box and share it with your unit.
The postage cost will be at the regular postage rate (or priority mail rate if desired and going to an APO).