What To pack in a Military Care Package

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One of the things my kids and I did while my husband was deployed was send him care packages. We sent him one every month and it was always a lot of fun to plan what we were going to put in the care package and to decorate it just for him, too. If you want to send a care package to the military, there are some guidelines you should follow. Here are my best tips for figuring out what to pack in a military care package.

Military Care Package Ideas

What To Pack in a Military Care Package

Items for a military care package

One of the things I always made sure to send my husband was Coca-Cola™ because it is his favorite drink. Right now, Coca-Cola is offering limited edition 16 oz. cans exclusively at Dollar General that encourage you to share a Coca-Cola with a military hero this summer. 

These cans are really neat because they are larger than the regular 12 oz. cans and they encourage you to share a Coca-Cola with a military dad, military mom, service member, veteran, or military spouse.

I found my Coca-Cola cans on an end cap in the Dollar General.

Here are the other items I would suggest adding to a care package:

  • Playing cards
  • Dominoes
  • Puzzles
  • Journal
  • Pens
  • Cross-Word Puzzles/Word Search
  • Yo-Yo
  • Personal care items 
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Shampoo
  • Baby wipes
  • Disinfectant wipes
  • Snacks
  • Drink mixes
  • Shaker bottle for mixing workout drinks
  • Small stuffed animal
  • Other small toys
  • Local newspaper
  • Handwritten letters

A word on packaging:

If sending liquids, such as the Coca-Cola cans or shampoo, use zip-top bags to seal each item separately. You will also want to pack the box tightly. You could use newspaper or bubble wrap. You do not want anything to explode and then ruin the rest of the items in the package.

The USO wants you to send your thanks to our troops overseas. 

Before my husband’s last deployment, he visited a United Through Reading Program which is an organization that partners with the USO. He was able to record himself reading books to our children. We were then sent the DVD and the books.

I cannot tell you how valuable this was to our family. We would never have thought to do this on our own. At the time we had a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a new baby. My kids watched that DVD almost every day. It was a way they could stay connected to their daddy and my new baby got to regularly hear his daddy’s voice and sort of “get to know him.”

I support the USO. Supporting our troops helps them achieve their mission and is a great moral booster.  The USO, Dollar General, and Coca-Cola have partnered with a goal of sending 25,000 messages of thanks to the troops. Visit the USO to find out how you can send a message of thanks directly to our service members. 

It’s all worth it when homecoming day comes around!

What to pack in a military care package.

Read about our entire Deployment Journey!

 

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One Comment

  1. Thank you so much for you and your families service to our country!! I appreciate it so much, deployments are so rough! Love these wonderful ideas on what to send, and I always love it when companies reach out and support those who are keeping us safe!

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