Care Package Ideas

I've been searching the internet for lists of items that soldiers seem to be asking for the most. i've combined several lists and have come up with the following:

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:

Shower to Shower body powder
toothbrush and paste
nail clippers
deodorant
mouthwash
floss
hair bands , etc for the girls
nail files and polish for the girls
razors and shaving cream
female products
foot powder
soap
shampoo and conditioner
wet wipes
icy/hot patches
foot massager
vitamins
protein powder
Avon Skin-so-soft (great for removing face paint and a good bug repellant)
Vasine
brush and comb

CREATURE COMFORTS:
disposable camera
playing cards
dice
CD's
AA batteries
board games
newspapers
magazines
koozies
DVD's
canned air to blow sand out of electronic items
books
ink pens
inflatable seat cushions
air fresheners
word/puzzle books
hackie sacks
rubix cubes
ziplock bags (ALL sizes)
stress squeeze ball
blank cards and stationary , note pads
AT&T calling cards
copenhagen snuff ( even if they don't chew stateside copenhagen is a great bargaining tool)

FOOD ITEMS:

Jelly Beans
Rice Krispie treats
Altoids
Beef Jerky
Snack mixes
sunflower seeds
gum
nuts
Little Debbie's
Coffee , Cocoa
Gatorade
Powdered drink mixes
Microwavable canned meals ( pasta , soups , sardines , etc)
Pringles
microwave popcorn
Ramen noodles
mac and cheese
granola bars
spices , olives , pickles , squeeze butter , hot sauce
energy bars
jolly ranchers , lemonheads , etc
homemade cookies can be mailed. Best tip...pack in unsalted , unbuttered popcorn to help absorb moisture to keep them fresh)
canned fruit
microwavable plates , bowls , paper plates
mugs (unbreakable)


CLOTHING:
shoe laces for tennis shoes and boots
brown t-shirts (army surplus stores)
boot socks
underwear
hand warmers
black wool or leather gloves
black wool socks
disposable shower towels

SURVIVAL GEAR:
utility knife , folding knife , swiss army knife
multi-purpose tool
adventure medical kits
rescue inflators

GOOD WILL ITEMS:

Kids there like sour candy as opposed to sweet so items like SweetTarts and Smarties are great to hand out to the kids to build a relationship

Beanie Babies to pass out to scared kids


ITEMS NOT TO SEND:

Anything that will melt easy
waterless hand cleaners (wet wipes preferred)
flashlights
compass
sun screen (TONS over there)
liquor
porn of any kind


MAILING:

You can go to your local post office and ask for a flat rate box. It costs around $8 to send and can hold quite a bit of stuff. Boxes take 10-14 days to get there.


I've also included a link to a care package idea website that is the best I've found so far. It's done by a military wife and has some great suggestions for kids and wives to send special packages to their soldier.