Care packages: General guide & advice
Care great are an amazing treat to give your service member.
It can feel hard to know where to start. Not everyone is great with Pinterest style, fancy packages from scratch. And though those are nice sometimes, a lot of time you sailor would love to receive the basics or a snack box—this is especially true while deployed.
There are a few things to keep in mind when sending a care package. Let’s over the general rules first.
Do not include:
No care packages while in bootcamp (letters are okay & encouraged).
Prohibited items:
alcohol
carbonated drinks
cigarettes
drugs/narcotics
fireworks
flammable items
lithium batteries
pornographic images
byproducts
Postal service restrictions:
no aerosols
airbags
dry ice
fresh fruits and vegetables
nail polish
perfume
No perishable goods
Avoid sending big things - they have limited space. Keep it small
Don’t overstuff the box
It is not recommended to mix non-food items and food items
Do not pack food items in glass containers
Use sturdy packaging and seal everything
Consider shipping time (Most packages to the Middle East take two weeks or longer — allow five weeks for delivery during the holidays)
Now that we’ve been over the rules, let’s go over the steps to send a care package.
How to send a care package (4 steps):
Step 1: Figure out your service member’s military address
“Military addresses are a little different from what you’re used to. A basic civilian address may look like this:
John Smith
Street Address
City, State Zip
A military member’s service address is structured similarly, but usually looks like this:
John Smith
PSC 101 Box 200
Camp Swift
APO, AE 10101-1001
The number one question we get has to do with confusion over this format. We'll summarize them breifly here, and more in depth below.
Name Line:
Like normal addresses, this is just the name of the service member.
Unit Line(s):
In the example above, these would be the second and third lines of the address. Your service member will provide you with this information. Lots of times, it just looks like jumbled letters and numbers, but enter it as instructed. Military branches love their acronyms, and military addresses are no different.
City/State Lines:
This last section is what normally throws people off. The APO/FPO part is just the city, while the AP/AE, etc., is the state. The country is always United States. Below is a list of the most common acronyms you'll see and what they stand for. Keep this in mind if the address seems unfamiliar.
AA: Armed Forces America
AE: Armed Forces Europe (includes the now-defunct "AM" designation, which covers the Middle East)
AP: Armed Forces Pacific
APO: Army Post Office
CMR: Community Mail Room
DPO: Diplomatic Post Office
FPO: Fleet Post Office
OMDC: Official Mail Distribution Center
PSC: Postal Service Center
UMR: Unit Mail Room
Above all, trust that your military member has given you the right address. The military is very good at getting the packages where they need to go, even with little information. All you need to do is get it to the unit, and they’ll know who to give it to, usually by name. So if you don’t know the exact division, and your service member hasn’t given it, don’t worry!
Zip Code:
The numbers at the end are just the military zip code. It will either be a 9 or 5 digit zip code, just like in civilian addresses.” -herocarepackages.com
Step 2: Locate the proper form at the post office or print it off the USPS website
The post office will have a form called a Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note. It’ll most likely be at one of the desks in the lobby, otherwise, you can ask a postal worker for one. This is the form you need to fill out in order to ship your package.
This is the form. You will fill it out and attach it on the top of the box you are using to send your care package.
Step 3: Fill out the form
Line 1: Addressee’s Name (who you are sending this to)
Line 2: Business (this line is typically left blank but you can use it to put the ship’s name)
Line 3: Address
Line 4: Postcode & city
Line 5: State/province & country
A quick note:
Don’t worry about anything on the right hand side, it’s for commercial shipments. Focus on filling out the left side as fully and carefully as possible. All that will be left now is to fill out the customs section.
Step 4: Fill out customs information
Be very specific. The post office does not want a vague description, if you put “gift” or “care package” in the description it will not be allowed.
Unless you know the individual weight of each item, wait to fill out the weight section until you go to the desk to have it weighed. The individual weight of each item must add up to the total weight of the package.
The biggest error on the customs form is forgetting to sign and date the bottom.
You’re all set, all that’s left is to bring you package to the postal worker and pay.
Phew. We’ve finally gone through the instructions and general rules — time to talk about some ideas to include.
some general things to include in your care package:
Necessities
Snacks
Entertainment
Personalized items
Photos and notes
Personally, I found it helpful to ask what my service member had been needing or wanting. You never know what necessities they might be running low on, if they are bored and are craving some specific entertainment, or if they have some snacks they are craving due to ship food getting old.
A surprise is nice, but communicating with the sailor about their specific wants and needs is sometimes better.
Personal recommendations
Keep it fun, cost effective, & Simple!
I found as time went on, that it was not only cost effective, but also saved a lot of time and effort to send items to the sailor directly — instead of putting a care package together from scratch every time.
The best way I found to do this was through Amazon.
There you can find various kinds of care packages, and it’s a one-stop location to find everything your sailor needs at the click of a button.
Amazon also simplifies the mailing process significantly. With lots of little kids, this was really helpful to me.
Not everyone has the time, patience, money, or skill to put together and ship out care packages frequently.
BY USING THE LINKS PROVIDED ON OUR PAGE, YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE SALTY RACK SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW & OFFER RESOURCES TO SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.Snack care packages
Gift care packages for men
gift care packages for women
Toiletries care packages
For men
For women
Neutral toiletries package
I hope this helps. If you have any ideas or things to add — always let us know in the “suggestions” tab or comment below! We welcome all ideas and advice.
Thank you and happy holidays!
Written by Tressa Bergsma (wife of a navy vet)sources:https://www.usps.com/ship/shipping-restrictions.htmhttps://www.militaryonesource.mil/relationships/support-community/sending-a-military-care-package/https://www.herocarepackages.com/homefront/mailing-a-military-care-packagehttps://www.thesoldiersproject.org/what-not-to-send-in-a-military-care-package/