CARE PACKAGE PROJECTS
Care Package Assembling - 3rd Wednesday of each month at 5:30
Calvary Chapel Salt Lake City
460 W. Century Dr.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84123
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Call for more information: 801-712-9189
COOL MARINES SENDS HUNDREDS OF CARE PACKAGES TO MARINES, BUT YOU CAN START YOUR OWN CARE PACKAGE PROJECT TOO!
Care packages are a great way to show our Marines that we care about them. It is also a good way to get your community involved in supporting the troops. Most people fully support the troops but don’t know how to show it. Care packages are a great way to get others involved who will find satisfaction in participating and actively supporting our military.
There are some things you should know about care packages. The living conditions the Marines face vary widely. Many live on a base with easy access to treats and comfort items. Others are at camps with minimal access to the most basic items. Then there are those who are on the move most of the time. They have access supplies when they reach a base and restock. They are limited in how much they can carry with them.
When collecting for your project, there are two ways you can go. Ask for cash donations. Show people a sample care package and tell them the cost of each package. Or, give a list of items you would like to have donated. Having items donated makes the project bigger and more cumbersome, but it's a lot more fun. You will end up with a wide variety of donations that you will have to collect, move, sort, combine and pack. People love donating things and it is a lot of fun, but more work than collecting money and purchasing specific items to send. Either way works just fine.
When packing your boxes, do not mix food and toiletries such as deodorant, lotions, baby wipes, soap, etc. In the extreme heat, the food will take on the odor of the soap type items and will be unusable.
You will pack your items in “flat rate boxes”. The boxes are free from the post office and the postage is $10.35 per box. You will need a separate address label and customs form for each box. Custom forms can be obtained from the post office. It typically takes one to two weeks for packages to reach the Marines throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Items must be packed to withstand the trip.
Who to send to: You can send care packages to local military contacts, service men or women from your community who are deployed. Or, contact Cool Marines by email and we will locate Marines in need of your support. We try to locate those who have the least comforts and are in the most need of support. Be sure to include a note of thanks and appreciation with each package. Notes from total strangers, just saying thank you and we appreciate what you are doing, can be very meaningful when they are so far from home.
Here is a list of suggested care package items. Care packages can consist of anything you want. Avoid things like chocolate and other items that won’t survive the heat, as well as material that is appropriate.
| Beef Jerky Sunflower seeds Powdered drink mixes Food bars/granola bars Trail Mix Protein Bars Packaged cookies Pop Tarts Tuna and Crackers (Tuna lunch kit) Top Raman Pudding, Individual serving size Canned Fruit, Individual serving size Gum Peanuts Hard Candy |
Chapstick Hand Sanitizer Baby Wipes Hand Lotion Deodorant – Axe is often requested Tooth Brush and Tooth Paste Good Quality Razors Foot Powder Boot Insoles Socks (white crew are fine) Green T-Shirts (military color) |
DVDs Playing Cards Video Games Entertainment Items Batteries, AA, AAA, 9V Book (novel) or Magazine Tablet Pens Disposable Camera |
Liquids, alcohol and pork products are prohibited items. The post office will not ship them.