CARE PACKAGES TO OUR DEPLOYED TROOPS
In my last post I showed you the Christmas Trees I make each year for a fundraiser that helps to raise money for scholarships. That same organization raises money to send care packages to our deployed troops from our mountain community.
Since it’s Christmas, and a time of giving, and since I’ve been on the subject anyway, I thought I’d tell you more about how our little group of mountain women support our local troops.
Once a month, we get together and pack our boxes. We identify deployed military personnel from our local community and then communicate with them about what kind of things they would enjoy receiving from home. We try to personalize the boxes to include the things they ask for.
One soldier might be stationed in the desert and needs sunscreen, eye drops and chap stick. Another might ask for a magazine subscription, a video game or movie, or a particular book to read. Another might need thick, warm socks and a winter scarf.
We send them things like hand wipes and eye drops, dried fruit and granola bars, beef jerky and breath mints. But we also try to send them homemade goodies tied into a monthly theme.
One month we each baked cookies. I made them my Soft, Moist & Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies.
Another month, I prepared bags of hot chocolate mix and packaged them with a wooden spoon.
On another occasion, I made them my homemade Granola……
……and then made chocolate dipped rice crispy squares the following month.
We packed baseball-themed boxes during the summer and, in keeping with the theme, I made caramel popcorn balls.
And for the 4th of July, I added red, white and blue caramel corn to a patriotic themed care package.
One Halloween I made them Russian Tea mix.
The following Halloween they got ghostly S’Mores Kits.
And this Halloween I packaged candy in surgical gloves.
For Thanksgiving I made them Mini Pecan Pies.
And on another occasion, they received my Nuts & Bolts Snack Mix.
One winter month I sent them Candy Cane Hot Chocolate Kits complete with marshmallows, coco mix and peppermint sticks.
But for Christmas, we really try to make our care packages special. We had personalized stockings made for each solider……
……and then filled them chock-full of goodies, both practical items and fun gifts.
Scarfs were knitted, blankets were made, and handwritten notes were included to let them know that even though they were far from home, they were not forgotten at Christmas.
It feels really good to give back. I am happy to be a part of this great group of women doing good things in our community.
Sources for the printables I used can be found here:
Kim, from The Tomkat Studio, donated the printables we used on our 4th of July items.
The Halloween printables were also from The Tomkat Studio.
And the Mini Pecan Pie labels came from The Tomkat Studio as well.
“I am Thankful For” Free Printables can be found at SiverBoxCreative.com.
Find “Merry Everything” Free Printables at PaperAndPigtailsParty.com.
And the “Happy Halloween” Free Printables are courtesy of belindasgreatideas.blogspot.com
I am grateful to all of these creative women who are so generous with their time, treasure and talents. And, thank you LACRWF for supporting this good cause.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Are you involved in a similar way in your community? If so, I ‘d love to hear about it. I could use some new ideas!
So there you have it: CARE PACKAGES TO OUR DEPLOYED TROOPS
All opinions expressed in this post are my own. All photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
