Need some help with items for a care package

Matthew D

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Hey guys,

I have a high school classmate that is still in the Army, right now he is serving over in Iraq with one of the Special Forces teams. We were trying to think of things to put into a care package for him. The main thing is that it needs to be pretty portable... Ideas would be greatly appreciated especially for the ex service guys, mainly because we all remember what a blessing it was to have something from home :D 

Matt D
 

RJJ

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General:

Individual packets of flavored coffee creamer. If you can't find individual packs, go to a craft store and buy ziplock baggies in the 1"x1" size and fill them up with a spoonful each. They have 2"x2" also for larger servings. At any rate, you're making your own individual servings. You could probably save money doing it this way also.

Mrs. Dash. There are many different flavors and it's a nice change from plain salt. Especially nice if you use it in your cooking at home.

Different hot sauces. Trust me, they'll love you for it. Most of the time they will have hot sauce but try sending different local brands in the small or trial sizes or special flavors that they love and can't get.

Drinks:

Powdered Crystal Light. It's sugar free and comes in many flavors.

Instant coffee. There are many flavored coffees that are very good.
Powdered Gatorade. Send along a jug too. :)
Powdered hot chocolate. It comes in many flavors also.
Kool-Aid, pre-sweetened of course.
Tea bags
Country Time lemonade mix. It's pre-sweetened also. Best lemonade on earth.

Snacks:

Salsa and chips, or just salsa. They can use the salsa as a condiment on their food also. You can do this two ways. One, use lots of bubble wrap and send it in jars or two, use a food sealer and make individual servings in the bags. This is really convenient for mailing and it's also good for them to store it.

Torengo tortilla chips. They come in a plastic container rather than a bag and save you the hassle of repacking bagged chips.

Tuna in the "fresh pouch". It doesn't require draining so it's much easier to eat in the field/barracks/rack.

Slim Jims
Crackers and Easy (spray) Cheese. Triscuits and Ritz crackers are great.
Potted meat and crackers. (remember to send plastic knives for spreading)
Single servings of bagged chips. The small bags stay fresh longer.
Cookies. Homemade cookies stay fresh with a piece of bread placed inside the container, but don't feel that you have to send homemade. Send Oreos. :)
Tuna with crackers. There are even Lunchables pre-made like this.
Candy, of course. M & M's are great, hard candy-anything that won't melt.
Little Debbie snack cakes. Sooo many variaties available.
Graham crackers. To be cute, you could send Teddy Grahams-shaped
like teddy bears. They're adorable.
Heart shaped anything! Gobstoppers (jaw breakers candy) come heart shaped
and are really good too. Heart shaped Little Debbie cakes are great also.
Lunchables! Many varieties that don't have to be refridgerated.
Chocolate-dipped pretzels. Mmmmm. Probably won't melt.
Pre-packaed brownies.
Licorice
Bubble gum
Snack mixes-Chex Mix, Gardetto's
Cashews, peanuts, etc.
Pretzels
Rice Krispie Treats! Double Mmmmmmm
Goldfish crackers
Applesauce, pudding or fruit cups with the pop-off lids. Send a couple plastic spoons with these to make it easy for them.
Raisins and trail mix. Send it 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 on ship do have access to one. If your loved one doesn't have access to one, 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). These are great!
Instant oatmeal or grits. (made with hot water)
Breakfast bars. Granola, cereal and power bars.
Pop tarts. There are some funky flavors out there too.
I've discovered that there is an enormous number of different soup mixes available that they can just add hot water to. No particular brand-I've just seen a lot of really good, large packages lately.







Microwave Meals:

Campbell's Chunky Soup. They have some that require no water and 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. These are very, very good. Send lots. :)
Dinty Moore make a line of meals that are sealed just like the Pasta Anytime
meals, but I can't remember the name. They have lasagna, beef stew, many
others. Good variety and they're huge portions.
Kraft has a line of Mac & Cheese dinners that are microwavable. They're
pretty good.
If you send more than one package a month (I always do, but then I have a lot of time on my hands-LOL) consider putting in one or two cans of their
favorite canned food if it's something they can't get. My husband likes clam
chowder and it doesn't add too much weight if I don't send too many at a time.
Microwave popcorn. Send quite a few of these, because it gets passed around.
Small microwave dinners in cups. These aren't as heavy as canned and they're very quick and easy. Pretty good too.
 

Matthew D

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Hey thanks for the big list.. I appreciate.. I had forgotten about the lack of spices in MRE's well the old ones didnt have them ;)
 

windwords7

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Nothing like good ole' tabasco for everything......;)
 

T-Bar

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Lever 2000 wipes, or even just baby wipes.

When I was over there last summer, the showers would go out sometimes, or we'd be out in the field, and it's nice to be able to wash your nasty a$$ once in awhile...
 

Matthew D

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I hear that T-bar.. nothing worse than being funky for 15 or 20 days on end...
 

Matthew D

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Thanks Dez and Colibri.. but with them being in Iraq running around behind enemy lines, I don't think I want to add fuel to a fire if God forbid he did get captured on one of his nighttime wanderings through the streets of Bagdad. :D
 

2demon2

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Cheque drops.

That'll teach those Iraqi fuckers.
 

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