PIKE COUNTY MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP
List of Items to Fill Care Packages for 155th Soldiers
Note: this is only a guide and store prices and sizes vary. We also take monetary donations which help with shipping and other projects. To save space and time I will list items as follows and give the pros and cons of sizes and some cost approximations:
« Baby Wipes/Clorox Disinfecting Wipes - packages usually are $1.50 or less/80 wipes or less (larger sizes are too large for their spaces in Iraq )
« Hand Sanitizer - bottles usually $.99/4 oz or less (larger ones, again no space and the pumps do not ship well)
« Eye Drops - Good old Visine Drops or regular saline drops work.
« Deodorant/Anti-Perspirant - Sticks/Gels/Roll Ons are great (the 155th Locally only has one female deployed at this time, so only men’s items are needed; aerosols are not legal to ship.)
« Snacks - Hard candies-gum-mints-granola bars-cookies-Gummy Bears (with no chocolate); (Basically anything that will not melt in extreme heat, and that has an expiration date that is at least 1 month away will do) Also Rice Crispy Treats(store bought)-Protein Bars-Chex Mix- Cereal(single serve boxes)-Single Serving Pringles-Canned Boiled Peanuts-Beef Jerky-Slim Jims-Sunflower Seeds-Pumpkin Seeds-Tuna & Chicken Salad (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits-Cheese Whiz-NO PORK PRODUCTS
« Drink Mixers - Single serve, just add to a bottle of water mixers (there is an entire line of drink mixers to add to bottles of water. Get the ones with individual packets.) There are also coffee singles, made like tea bags that are great.
« Air Fresheners - Car type or non plug in room fresheners, (no aerosols)
« Foot Powder - Small Travel size bottles/6 oz or smaller, (small size of the bottle is key in this case due to limited space)
« Toothpaste - The tubes that are priced around $1/4oz or less are the best. (Tricky here, there is a tiny travel size for $.97 or a larger size for $1.00, the $1.00 size is the best buy.) Also in need of travel size mouthwash, dental floss, Colgate Wisps and toothbrushes.
« Lip Balm - Name Brand Lip Balm. The Troops ask for the name brand lip balms. This is one of the few things they do ask for by name brand and, they need the spf 15 or higher. The desert is brutal on their lips.
« Shampoo - 4 oz Bottle or less (any brand will do, try to get it with conditioner)
« Shave Gel - Gillette gel (there is only about one size to choose from)Also disposable razors and Mach 3 refills.
« Miscellaneous - Basic wash cloths, White Over Calf Socks, Phone Cards (DOD recommends AT&T International Cards), Stationary, Puzzle Books, Playing cards, Dice, Wiffle Ball Sets, Nerf Footballs, Patriotic Photos, Q-Tips (they also are good for cleaning their weapons)-Disposable Cameras-Small Address Books- etc.
« Magazines/Periodicals - They love magazines. Of course sports, hunting, fishing, people, news and just about anything. Bring yours from home!
« Batteries - AA -AAA-C and 9 volt are the most needed sizes.
« DVDs - Yes this is modern war. They sometimes have access to a DVD player when on the base so look through your DVDs and bring some to donate. Newer releases only please. Also PSP movies and games.
« Plastic Storage Bags - 1-gallon size We use about 500 each month to ensure insects and sand do not get to the items before the Soldiers do. Any brand will do! The soldiers empty them and use them for gear in Iraq !
« Letters/Notes - Last but not least: Letters from home. We looked on every shelf and in every store and you cannot find them for sale anywhere. Your encouraging letters and notes are greatly needed. It is the least expensive of all the items listed above. It can be as short or as long as you want; just hand write it and bring it to a donation location in an unsealed envelope. These troops need to hear from Pike County .
Thank You in advance for Your willingness to support our Troops deployed in Iraq and Your Continued support until the time when each and every Service Member is returned home safely.
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