Operation Tommy #1

So we packaged up our 1st care package to send over to Tommy in Afghanistan!! We got a ton of stuff....not all of it fit, so we're going to have an ongoing care package bag of stuff so we can send something every month.  Matt found this great list online from a Marine who has served 2 deployments!  It was a great list to go by!

PERMISABLE ITEMS FOR MILITARY SUPPORT PACKAGES

Drinks:
" Instant Coffee
" Powdered Gatorade
" Plastic Jug to mix powdered drinks
" Powdered hot chocolate
" Kool-Aid, pre-sweetened
" Tea bags
" Country Time Lemonade Mix

Snacks:
" Tuna in the "fresh pouch"
" Crackers
" Easy Spray Cheese
" Slim Jim’s
" Triscuit and Ritz crackers are great
" Potted meat and crackers
" Plastic knives for spreading Plastic Spoons for eating
" Single servings of bagged chips - The small bags stay fresh longer
" Cookies
" Candy - M & M’s, hard candy - anything that won’t melt
" Little Debbie snack cakes
" Graham crackers
" Gobstoppers Jaw Breaker Candy
" Little Debbie Cakes
" Chocolate-dipped pretzels
" Pre-packaged brownies
" Licorice
" Bubble gum
" Snack mixes- Chex Mix, Gardetto’s
" Cashews, peanuts, etc
" Pretzels
" Rice Krispie Treats
" Goldfish crackers
" Applesauce, pudding or fruit cups with the pop-off lids
" Raisins and trail mix in several small Zip Lock bags for sharing

Non-Microwave Meals:
" Non-microwave meals have some hot meals listed that require access to boiling water - i.e. a coffee pot - most people do have access to one or to some sort of electricity or camp fire. You can send them a one cup coffee maker - they’re very small and worth it!
" Cup ’o Noodles soups (made with hot water)
" Dry cereal the small, individual serving boxes stay very fresh
" Bowl Appetite dinners (made with hot water)
" Instant oatmeal or grits (Made with hot water)
" Breakfast bars Granola, cereal and power bars
" Pop tarts
" I’ve discovered that there is an enormous number of different soup mixes available that they can just add hot water to.

Microwave/Campfire Meals:
" Campbell’s Chunky Soup - They have pop-top lids They’re perfect and they can even be eaten out of the can if the line at the microwave is just too long :)
" Pasta Anytime dinners
" Dinty Moore Dinners
" Kraft has a line of Mac & Cheese Dinners
" If you send more than one package a month
" Microwave Popcorn - Send quite a few of these, because it gets passed around
" Small Cup Microwave Dinners

Toiletries:
" Clorox Wipes
" Razors & Shaving Cream
" Foot Powder
" Shampoo, Conditioner & comb
" After Shave & Body Lotion
" Soap or Body Wash
" Mouth Wash
" Deodorant
"
Comfort Needs:
" Gel Insoles
" Foot powder
" T-shirts, underwear and socks MONTHLY-trust me, they’ll need them
" Sachets for their lockers to keep clothes smelling like home
" Glade Stick-Ups These are easy to hang in their racks
" Blanket from home
" A good sheet set
" A big fluffy towel
" An egg crate mattress pad Those racks are thin and not very comfortable
" Small bottle of Febreeze It helps to spray down the bedding once in a while
" Toilet paper
" A small battery operated fan
" Baby wipes are good for fast, easy clean-ups
" Eye drops
" Sneaker Balls--they’re like sachets for your shoes
Sundries & General Goods & Ideas:
" Board games-the ones they have made into key chains They’re small, light and just as fun as the full <myspace><myspace> size </myspace></myspace> versions
" Use your computer to print onto magnetic paper They can put these directly onto their racks
" Send favorite magazines
" Disposable cameras They can take pictures then mail them home for you to develop
" A Walkman with extra batteries
" With a CD burner, make a CD of favorite songs You can also make a cassette tape
" Always write letters, but in addition you might record your letters onto a tape (or onto the computer to make a CD)
" Send a few toys Slinky, sidewalk chalk, squirt guns, etc.
" Theme packages Make it all one color scheme with ribbon and confetti
" Send electronic games There are some little games that are about $10 each
" Make your own custom crossword puzzle!
" Use small baby food jars and fill them up with dirt from their backyard. You could also put sand from their favorite beach with a shell inside It’s oddly comforting
" Two words - Silly Putty. They love it and it considered a premium
" Use your computer graphics program to create a cool calendar with magnetic dots that they can use to mark important days (like homecoming!) and print on magnetic paper
" GameBoy Color (a handheld video game system) is $69 at most stores (although buying online with coupons you can get it for even less) and the games are $10-$30 each There are some great games, and the guys can trade when they get tired of playing
" Books on tape are nice, or for an avid reader send small paperback books that they can give away when they’re done That way they’re not having to store it
" If they’re gone over their birthday, send a birthday box with streamers, hats, noise makers, a birthday card, and a birthday cookie decorated with icing (refer to the Tips section on how to ship cookies!) Record yourself and the kids singing Happy Birthday and of course, decorate the outside of the box with birthday stickers :)
" Foam footballs and basketballs, the miniature <myspace><myspace> size </myspace></myspace>. These will get played with all the time by the whole platoon
" A Frisbee The flexible ones are best
" A hacky sack (a little bean bag for kicking around)
" I found a keychain version of the Super Soaker squirt guns it shoots 20ft away! They really work and they’d be great to take to work, since they fit in a pocket
" Very carefully open a box of Cracker Jacks and remove the prize Put your own prize in the box (use the prize somewhere else in your care package) Put in a little note or a bigger prize--maybe something personal that only your marine would understand Then carefully seal up the box so they don’t see that you’ve tampered with it Craft glue works best
" A small stack of Dixie cups
" A small battery operated light with a clip
" Dryer sheets, in a Zip Lock bag They can use them in their lockers to help things smell fresh, or they can rub them over their clothes before they go out It’s just a nice thing to have
" Send
" If they didn’t take one with them, send a cordless electric razor The best ones have the option of using them corded, in case the charge runs out It will make life so much easier
" Sun block
" A small sewing kit
" A stain remover stick (Shout makes a good stick)
" A stress ball
" CD/DVD disk cleaning kit, since the players and the disks will get a lot of use
" Stamps, paper and envelopes
" 5 padded mailing envelopes, just in case they need to send home
" Eyeglass cleaner wipes
" If you send store bought cookies like Oreos, something that cracks easy, take them out of their package and pack them loose in plain popped popcorn. The popcorn takes the shock of traveling and the cookies get there in great shape.
" I recommend sending packages Priority Mail It does help to get it there faster Priority mail will get it across country and into the hands of the FPO workers faster, and the FPO people respond quicker to Priority mail packages (maybe because they stand out more, who knows?) It’s also cheaper in a lot of cases
" Place anything that could spill (shampoo, cologne) inside a Zip Lock bag and then tape that bag to the inside of the box On the outside of the box, write "This Side Up" and even though it will never stay "that side up", it will help! Taping things to the side also helps to distribute the weight and keeps heavy things from crushing smaller or breakable items
" A good source of boxes is the post office. Visit www.USPS.com and order free boxes, labels and shipping tape and they will deliver it right to your door.
" When you send food of any kind, try to send a lot more than you think they’ll eat Most food gets shared and they may not get much if you only send a single serving
" This is the most important tip I have It takes a special skill to write a letter during deployment. Avoid writing phrases such as "Everything is falling apart and I can’t handle it without you" or "Everything is falling apart and I don’t need you any more to fix it for me" Either of these will cause your spouse, sibling or child terrible anxiety, and it’s dangerous for them and for anyone they work with also I know how hard it is, but I also know how important it is. No bad news, nothing upsetting. Considering what they are going through, it is nothing that cannot wait until they return home.

Here's all of stuff!!  We also sent a card with a family picture and an outline of Brody's hand!  

Stay Safe, Tommy-we love you!!!