I send out my first two care packages.
Those of you who follow this blog may have read my most recent “Support Our Troops” post. It starts off with a rant about people who think they’re supporting the troops by taking a minute to send a free card to a random soldier, then provides information on how you can send members of our armed forces things they can really use.
At the time, I vowed to send 10 care packages this month. Today I sent my first two.
I used the lists from the first two AnySoldier.com representatives to buy the items to send. I went to two stores and spent about $100 on everything from lip balm to bed sheets.
Then I made my famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I packed two saved take-out packages — the kind my husband is always telling me not to save — with cookies.
I was delayed in putting it all together by my trip to Las Vegas, which was extended due to mechanical problems.
Yesterday, I was caught up in work — imagine that! Today, I had some spare time and finally put the first two packages together.
The first, to an army guy in Iraq, was mostly foodstuff, although he did get a set of twin sheets. The Priority Mail flat rate box weighted in at just over 7 lbs. The second, to a navy gal in the Gulf, was a combination of stationery items and personal hygiene items. That flat rate box weighed in at just under 7 lbs. (Cotton balls don’t weigh much.) Each box cost $8.95 to ship because of the flat rate priority mail to a U.S. (FPO and APO) address. I don’t think that was a bad deal. I just hope their contents reach the addressees before Christmas.
I printed postage and customs forms on the USPS Web site. It took me about 20 minutes for the first form and only 5 for the second. (I summarized box contents.) Then it took another 20 minutes at the post office.
I’ve decided that I’m going to ship the remaining 8 boxes at once to make better use of my time.
Now I have to collect lists and addresses. I can only get two addresses a day, so I’ll be literally collecting them.
A reminder to people who don’t want to wade through my lengthy post about this: AnySoldier.com makes it possible to send deployed troops the items they really need in care packages. Won’t you make a difference in a soldier’s life this holiday season? Visit AnySoldier.com, click the Where to Send link, and read the story of one of the service members. Buy a few things on his or her wish list and send it. Sure, it’ll take a few minutes of your time and a few dollars of your money, but it’s the best way I can think of to support our troops.
I look forward to the day when these young people can come home.
Discover more from An Eclectic Mind
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I would like to know what you sent. I want to send my grandson a package.
Thanks
I sent all kinds of stuff, from clothes and personal hygiene products to non-perishable food. I sent a total of 12 packages before Christmas last year. Never heard from anyone on whether they were received or appreciated.
It would sure be nice to have our USPS finally start making a profit today. And I am also especially disappointed that our elected leaders have not done
very much to get things changed around. I feel with
some good leadership they could get we the people
and the USPS to turn things around by coming up with his/her plan and goals to do so. I have no doubt that even the Postal Workers would also like some
goals and ideals of how such a thing could be accomplished. Especially in todays hard times
it would help everyone if they could start earning a nice sized profit that would help pay for our countires
necessary bills and expenses. After all we already have invested alot of $$ to bring their equipment up to date with much of the needed software and hardware to do so. We already have some very qualified people
already working for the USPS.
So from my viewpoint I see most of the problems are lack of planning and goals on how to improve and reduce costs so they can be a very large competitor to
the Private Shipping Companies. And mainly we could used some Leadership to get everything started
and determination enough to hang in their long enough to see things begin to come around to the Positive instead of Negative. Even we the people
would again bring our biz back to the Post Office again.
I have sure enjoyed Maria’s Web Site with all her interesting articles and what great photos that give me
some very special places to see in my little world over here. I am a newbie here and have lived in Winslow Az years ago and until they tranferred many of the RR Workers to Albuquerque and then again to other further and more complicated places.
Take Good Care
Larry S