Eden Gives Back: Support Our Troops with Care Packages

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Eden Gives Back: Support Our Troops with Care Packages

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Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Nothing brightens someone's day better than receiving a package filled with snacks, personal care and entertainment items reminding them of home. Here is the complete list of items that can and cannot be sent to troops overseas.

Restricted Items:

- HOME-BAKED FOOD
- GLASS BOTTLES or GLASS JARS
- AEROSOL CANS or AEROSOL SPRAYS
- EXPIRED FOOD
- CANNED FOOD
- CANDLES, LIGHTERS, MATCHES or LIGHTER FLUID
- HOTEL SAMPLES
- VHS TAPES or CASSETTE TAPES
- CONTRABAND ITEMS (pork products, live plants, tobacco, alcohol, knives, nudity, etc.)

Allowable Items:
Food Items:

- BEEF JERKY / SLIM JIMS
- COFFEE (Ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground is preferred)
- 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!)
- 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!! Or generics, all ingredients must be listed on the bottle, as some troops have allergies to certain products.

- 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), 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

Other Items:

- 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.]
- LAUNDRY DETERGENT: Cheer, All, Surf and Woolite ONLY, All others contain optical brighteners which are not allowed
- 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, AT&T is preferred ("Ship to Shore" and the like)
- 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


NOTE: Homemade goods are not allowed for security and safety reasons, all ingredients must be labeled on the packaging of products sent to troops.

These items can be donated to a variety of organizations, like Give To The Troops or Adopt A Platoon, who will put together the packages and forward them overseas. Due to Customs regulations and cost, this is the most effective way to get our troops the things they desire most.

Donations can also be made to the USO.org via their website to send a care package to troops, a minimum $25 donation is required. They handle everything and the items included are mostly toiletry items.

Should you decide to donate items, please snap a picture and tell us a little bit about the items you choose and send your story to rayne@edenfantasys.com to be included in the Eden Gives Back blog.
09/29/2011
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Contributor: spaghettikat27 spaghettikat27
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Nothing brightens someone's day better than receiving a package filled with snacks, personal care and entertainment items reminding them of home. Here is the complete list of items that can and cannot be sent to troops overseas.

Restricted ... more
This is a good thing. i just came back from a tour in Afghanistan and i must admit, getting those care packages were the highlight of my deployment. it keeps the moral up and honestly, it's good to get stuff from stateside to remind you that there are good people that we're protecting and that we are loved.
09/30/2011
Contributor: sexyintexas sexyintexas
Soldiers Angels also has a facebook page and website where you can pick what you want to send them and they will send things to a list of soldiers that have requested help. That way you can choose what goes to them or pick a soldier yourself and they ship it for you.

We did our Care Package Fundraiser saturday and raised over $4400. I am so happy, we will be able to help so many out with little things that they wouldn't otherwise get. I have a few exerpts of thank you letters that we have recieved that I will post.
10/04/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by sexyintexas
Soldiers Angels also has a facebook page and website where you can pick what you want to send them and they will send things to a list of soldiers that have requested help. That way you can choose what goes to them or pick a soldier yourself and they ... more
That is so awesome of you! I can't wait to read the excerpts, and I hope you'll consider writing something for the Eden Give Back blog about it!
10/04/2011
Contributor: sexyintexas sexyintexas
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
That is so awesome of you! I can't wait to read the excerpts, and I hope you'll consider writing something for the Eden Give Back blog about it!
I hadn't thought about it, but that sounds like a good idea. I will be sending Rayne a couple of the letters that we have gotten as well for the blog.
10/05/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by sexyintexas
I hadn't thought about it, but that sounds like a good idea. I will be sending Rayne a couple of the letters that we have gotten as well for the blog.
Fantastic!
10/05/2011
Contributor: sexyintexas sexyintexas
Hi I have been having some issues with my computer but I wanted to post a few exerpts from letters that we have recieved from the troops showing how much these things mean to them.

"I don’t think you have any idea how nice it is getting a package even if
Its from somebody you have never met, it is a huge morale booster knowing that somebody is thinking
About you, and makes being away from home not seem as bad"


"You have no idea what those packages mean to me, since throughout this deployment I have rarely received anything. My wife was out on her own deployment (just couldn’t stay away from those Navy girls) and couldn’t really send me any care packages, and then my family doesn’t really have the money to be sending anything out here (I’m the second oldest out of seven), so your package was like the third box I’ve gotten out here. It is good to know that there are people out there who still care about all of us even after we’ve gone halfway around the world, and for all that and more I wanted to thank you."

"We received 6 boxes of supplies from you today in the
mail (WOW!!!!). Thank You all so much for taking the time to support a
platoon of knuckle draggers out here in the heart of the fight. It
really means a lot to us to get support from everyone back home. By far,
you have sent us the largest amount of goods! "The Boys" had a great
time getting into the boxes and deciding who wanted what and everyone
went away happy and thankful.
Again, Thank You so much for sending the boxes and everything in
them. It really does make a difference to us and reminds us of what we
are doing this for!"

These things and just letting them know that they are appriciated and not forgotten mean so much!!
10/07/2011
Contributor: oldman oldman
Quote:
Originally posted by spaghettikat27
This is a good thing. i just came back from a tour in Afghanistan and i must admit, getting those care packages were the highlight of my deployment. it keeps the moral up and honestly, it's good to get stuff from stateside to remind you that ... more
Thank you for helping protect the citizens of our great nation. Around the world many condemn the USA for policies and actions, but for some reason, they all want to be here, as evidenced by the increasingly high # of illegal aliens.
11/24/2011
Contributor: mistressg mistressg
Mad Libs are sold right here on the site.
11/24/2011
Contributor: aliceinthehole aliceinthehole
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Nothing brightens someone's day better than receiving a package filled with snacks, personal care and entertainment items reminding them of home. Here is the complete list of items that can and cannot be sent to troops overseas.

Restricted ... more
thanks to this post, i just found the USO.org website and donated $200 on behalf of Eden Gives back! thank you so much for posting this website!!
12/19/2011
Contributor: MAy86 MAy86
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Nothing brightens someone's day better than receiving a package filled with snacks, personal care and entertainment items reminding them of home. Here is the complete list of items that can and cannot be sent to troops overseas.

Restricted ... more
I know I am posting this late, but I just wanna thank all those who sent our troops anything. They deserve the best, I cannot wait for all of them to be home.
01/10/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by aliceinthehole
thanks to this post, i just found the USO.org website and donated $200 on behalf of Eden Gives back! thank you so much for posting this website!!
Holy...wow. You're so awesome! Thank you for doing that!
01/11/2012