| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Nov 17 2011 : 8:54:08 PM
My first grader daughter's class is doing a program called Stockings for Soldiers this year where each child's family fills a stocking to be shipped to a member of the military serving overseas. We offered to take on several extra ones to make up for families in her class who declined to participate (for whatever reason - not judging here - times are tough) and I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on what would be the best, most welcome items to put in. The stockings are just "regular size," so I want to put in just the right stuff.
Any thoughts?
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Dec 07 2011 : 2:18:09 PM
Thank you, everyone for your awesome suggestions! I used a lot of what you recommended and my daughters and I ended up doing a lot of stockings for the program at their school. We just turned them in and it was a great experience.
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| Sweet_Tea |
Posted - Dec 07 2011 : 12:51:37 PM
also Tabasco sauce.. my husband was in the marines, and he said Tabasco was a great thing to find in your MRE
Farmgirl Sister #2974
~ http://notsosweettea.blogspot.com/
"The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears"
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| JessyLynn88 |
Posted - Dec 07 2011 : 12:13:48 PM
My husband dad cousins and friends (we have a large military family) individual serving koolaid mixes protein bars cookies ritz gum hard candies sudoku coffee creamer sugar packets beef jerky chips ziplocks (dont ask I have no idea why) short books, and letters It truly is a morale boost. Im not looking forward to this upcoming deployment :(
-JessyLynn
Farmgirl Sister #3675
http://www.facebook.com/americangirlsrule |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 5:29:31 PM
I have to say, the idea of putting any sort of personal hygiene products in a Christmas/holiday stocking skeeves me out, so Tampons are not on my list of things to get. I really liked the suggestions of instant cocoa/tea/lemonade packets, snacks, jerky, chapstick, crossword puzzles etc. Oh, and gum and mints. Do you think they might like the kind of powdered coffee creamer that comes in different flavors?
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| woolgirl |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 08:37:52 AM
Oh Heather! That reminds me...pencils! Kids loved getting pencils. Just regular pencils. What we take for granted sometimes huh?
As a female veteran can I just say, don't send feminine hygiene products. Maybe that was just me, but I would have people I know send me the kind I wanted if I couldn't get them (which you usually could anyways). Getting packages of creature comforts was always more appreciated. Keep in mind storage is at a premium, so nothing too much they will have to hang on to for extended periods of time. Oh, and I don't know if it has been mentioned, but sunscreen and chapstick.
Liz
Farmgirl #1947
www.militaryfarmgirl.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MilitaryFarmGirl |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 07:51:39 AM
I agree with every thing except the bags of candy. My brother has served once in Iraq, and three times in Afghanistan, and he always wanted small candies and small toys-I can't think of what to describe the toys as but he would always tell us detailed of small little toys he could keep in his pockets to pass out to children. He wanted both those kinds of things.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Nov 20 2011 : 03:04:49 AM
My hubby who is in Afghanistan & was in Iraq says they always need beef jerky, healthy trail mixes & drink mixes they can add to water like those like packets of tea, crystal lite types.
The woman I know need female stuff but not all use tampons.
Also those things they make you soak in water that they can wrap around their necks is a big help, but right now with the snows coming there they would also enjoy hot chocolate or hot cidar mixes.
Too many get over amounts of toothpaste, bags of candy that they just can't use up so be limited on those....do not send mouthwash to Afghanistan cause it has alcohol in it & they will dump it before it gets to the soldiers. Stay away from perfumed type items as well.
Cloth hankerchiefs are good especially in hot areas they are in.
Magazines are always welcomed & the newest thriller books.
Batteries in AAA,AA & C...the air there dries out the batteries faster than normal.
hacky sacks,baseballs, softballs or footballs also welcomed
Don't forget cards & short letters..they so love that more than anything...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
| Annab |
Posted - Nov 19 2011 : 03:51:04 AM
Pretty much everything was mentioned on the list!
Crackers, chips, presweetend drink mixes, foot powder, instant hand warmers, hand sanitizers, cash (of course) and our list also said gift cards for places like Wendy's McDonald's and other fast food restautants
And you know? I'd much rather be doing stuff like this than giving yet another cheap unwanted toy to a spoild child right about now, so I'm glad you kid has the right spirit  |
| one_dog_per_acre |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 4:09:13 PM
Someone I know said they need GOOD QUALITY disposable razors, tampons, pads. As far as sending, the sites I used in the past told if there were women soldiers present.
http://anysoldier.com/howtosend.cfm
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
| Lessie Louise |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 3:33:19 PM
One other thing they like are the cold packs, the kind that you "pop" to get cold. The soldiers use them on their necks while marching
....it's what's inside a women, when she's up against the land.
Farmgirl #680!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lessielouise22 |
| YakLady |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 12:57:28 PM
There is "Adopt a Soldier" and sometimes you can get a soldier and send a ton of stuff in flat rate boxes (best for heavy items). They will share with their unit :) Or if you know anyone deployed, you could ask them for their address. That's what I always did. I went to Costco and got the big box of baby wipes, a few 2-bag packs of beef jerky, books, etc. Depending on where they were, I sometimes sent the big packs of batteries. They also like getting current-ish magazines. If your husband has any subscriptions to hunting/manly magazines and he's done with them, send those along also.
~Natalie~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana. http://mtnme.blogspot.com
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, and a few dogs. |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 11:45:23 AM
Thank you so much, everybody! I want to hear everyone's input on this because I want us to give what is REALLY welcome. The teacher gave us a "standard" list, but I wanted to hear the opinions of someone who might have done this before or who has loved ones serving. Keep the suggestions coming! And since my girls and I are loving the idea of this so much, does anyone know how/where we could send care packages in the future beyond this Stocking program?
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| woolgirl |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 11:42:34 AM
My husband always requested:
Trail mix
tuna in the pouches
socks
jerky (make sure no pork though)
gum
most things like razors/ toothpaste/ soap they can get there and have already had a ton set to them, so it end up getting thrown out. What they always went nutso for was home bakes goodies. One of those little ziplock sealer dealies work wonders on keeping things fresh. Fudge travels well, so did quick breads like eggnog and banana breads. iTunes gift cards are always nice too, most have internet access and iPods.
Liz
Farmgirl #1947
www.militaryfarmgirl.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MilitaryFarmGirl |
| Prairie Gypsy |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 11:22:04 AM
It depends on where they're being sent to a degree but these are things my son likes me to ship him to Afghanistan. With my son he prefers I send food to him because he can get the rest of the stuff like razors.
The Countrytime Lemonade individual packs are a HUGE hit - the pink lemonade one in particular if you can find it. It's not recommended that you send anything sugar free unless you know your soldier wants it. Tampons are NOT a good idea since you don't know the gender of your soldier and guys get ticked about getting them (my son got several packages with them) and they will toss them. The Mio water flavoring is popular. The water there is tempid to warm and doesn't taste the best so anything to cover the taste of the water. Baby wipes are big. Small candy bars are good - they like to hand them out to the kids. Gum is good. Any clothing item has to be 100% natural product, no synthetic materials are allowed to be worn for safety reasons. Socks and tshirts have to be the correct tan color - they cannot wear tube socks. Canned or microwavable meals such as beef stew and single serve mac-n-cheese are great. Tuna foil packs. If you send canned good that aren't pop tops then send a can opener with. My son had been craving pizza so I sent some Boboli 3-pk individual crusts, a can of pizza sauce, pepperoni and some jarred cheese. Wouldn't fit well into a stocking though. Canned fruit and puddings were a hit. Cookies and such are good if packed well (Pringles can work great for this). Popcorn bags would be good. Any type of log sausage that doesn't need to be refrigerated until it gets there is good. Crackers. Cereal. I also send some baggies so he can keep stuff contained after he opens it or can put some cereal or whatever in a baggie and take it with him in his backpack. Canned soups with it starting to get cold would be good. He is having me ship hot chocolate mix for adding to water to him in the next shipment.
Keep in mind that most have access to a microwave if they're at there base but no refrigeration ability. If they're out on maneuvers they don't necessarily have access to boiling water for the dehydrated meals so he told me to stop sending them. Hope these ideas help.
Farmgirl Sister # 2363
http://twilightburrough.blogspot.com/
Warren, MI
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| Marcy |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 11:18:37 AM
I've sent out a few packages. Everything everyone else suggested is wonderful. I was also asked to send playing cards, puzzle books and dvd's. I usually included trail mixes, life savers, hard candy and anything else that I thought they might like. What about hot chocolate mixes or dried fruit? And of course, trail size toiletries should be great. My sons really enjoyed doing this with me. Thanks for bringing this up. I think I'm going to be putting a few more boxes together.
hugs
Marcy
Farmgirl #170
Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give...Eleanor Roosevelt
http://marcysworldofcreativity.blogspot.com/
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| one_dog_per_acre |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 10:25:48 AM
They need hand sanitizer, tampons, pads, healthy snacks, not just sweets, single serving drink mixes, baby wipes, dvds, novels, magazines, good disposable razors, white t shirts, new socks.
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
| Annab |
Posted - Nov 18 2011 : 09:58:46 AM
Our church is working on stockings and had a nice list of desirable/sendable items .
Jerkey was on the list, chapstick, if you are able to send liquids, our list included travel sized shampoos and sunscreen, gum in blister packs, poptarts, ...I'll have to remember the list tonight and update it for you. It was pretty long, so I hope you will find it helpful
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| YakLady |
Posted - Nov 17 2011 : 9:18:43 PM
Jerky is a big hit item, I know- Are these soldiers in war zones or are they just stationed overseas? Because there would be different things they may have a harder time getting a hold of...
~Natalie~ Just a farmgirl in Western Montana. http://mtnme.blogspot.com
Starting a family and raising Tibetan Yaks, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Laying hens, Muscovy ducks, and a few dogs. |
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