Some of the single greatest inspiration for blog posts come from my very own friends!
"...During the time he was in Afghanistan, our Organization sent care packages to soldiers, and our HR team sent him one...I think, 'Wow...he was going through this and all he got from us was a cheesy little care package.' If you get a chance, ask your spouse if care packages from non-family people are liked by soldiers, or if it is almost like leaving a waitress a nickel tip?"
.. so I did; I put this question to my soldier-husband and I also reached out to one of our unit's FRG Leaders to gain some insight....
It only takes a small about of maturity and graciousness for people to
appreciate the thoughtful gestures of others. And soldiers are no
different.
But what makes a care package truly USEFUL and most appreciated by soldiers?
Short answer: "It depends"
I should've known it wouldn't be so simple...
Location, location, location:
If the Unit is stationed at a very small base...they are really roughing it. These guys love ANYTHING you can send them - soap, nice toothbrushes, socks, and almost anything else you can think of in the personal hygiene category... They love snacks and nice coffee too.
If the Unit is stationed at a very large and more modern base (like Bagram, population 20K), they'll have access to the basics; no problem. I recently heard about an organization that chose to ship cases upon cases of hand santizer and dry shampoo to units/soldiers stationed at Bagram. While the soldiers appreciated the intention and the thoughtfulness of the gesture, the product went largely unused and even discarded. Very sad. Soldiers stationed at larger bases generally prefer People Magazines, devotionals, popular books, nice coffee, and news from "home." Many soldiers in one of our deployed units simply can't get enough of: Red Bull, hard candy, fruit rollups, cheese crackers with peanut butter, Crystal Lite water flavoring, coffee, almonds and Pringles chips.
Individual preferences:
Within any unit, there are soldiers of various nationalities and from different walks of life. One of the soldiers from our currently deployed unit is from the Philippines originally. She often makes requests for unique food items (we'd have trouble procuring those items in small-town Kansas, but no trouble finding them in the markets of larger cities). Some of the young, single soldiers have unique requests as well - the first that comes to mind is Red Bull (for when they are working an overnight security shift).
Bottom Line:
If I were a business or charitable organization wanting to send a care package, I'd look to partner with or "adopt" a specific Unit that is deploying. I'd take the time to contact that FRG (Family Readiness Group) Leader and ask him/her/them to provide feedback on specific Soldier requests. That's the best, most foolproof way to make sure that only items that are needed are sent because, if soldiers get care packages with items they don't need or won't use, they
won't usually pick through them...instead, the contractors and the locals will have access
to go pick through those packages. So you want to make sure that the items you send are appropriate...that way you can be sure that the care packages end up in the hands of a Soldier with a need...and not an Iraqi/Afghani contractor.
I hope this helps! I tried to speak in generalities because each location and situation is truly so different, as well as fluid/changing. If you have tips you'd like to share, or questions you'd like to ask, or a desire to support a currently deployed Unit, please message me. :)
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